de seg eee eo POSTE? perre renee oye bd eae ner] pars beeen ee ee Poe ate Fe rrr a arate pee pw Ae Seren i tt te as aoe Parr TE ald per eter bee rane ne segs FF dt ga fee De Es IRF, peed ee are aes s<ZIs 3 Pee we se HARVARD UNIVERSITY Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology Printed in England by Cravitz Printing Company Limited, 1 Tower Hill, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4TA. Tel: 0277-224610. ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD AND Edited by P. A. SOKOLOFF, rres. Vol. 102 1990 CONTENTS 100 Years ago, 95, 150, 203 1989 - A year for the Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus L. B.R. Baker, 40 A chance find D.Dey, 201 A note on the difference between Perizoma affinitata Steph. and P. alchemillata L. (Lep.: Geometridae) A. Spalding, 44 Abundance of Aporophyla nigra Haw. (Lep.: Noctuidae) in Oxfordshire. D.F. Owen, 76 Abundance of Leptura livida F. (Col.: Cerambycidae) in a S.E. London Locality. A.A. Allen, 304 Aleochara binotata Kr., not A. verna Say (Col.: Staphylinidae) a British insect. R. C. Welch, 225 Another case of mistaken identity? A.G. Duff, 296 Another spring Humming-bird Hawkmoth. A. Kennard, 238 Apion ervi Kirby (Col.: Apionidae) feeding on apple. R.C. Welch, 45 Apion urticarium Hbst. (Col.: Apionidae) in a suburban garden A.A. Allen, 248 Aplota palpella Haw. (Lep.: Oecophoridae) in Kent. J.M. Chalmers-Hunt, 4 Argyrotaenia ljungiana Thunb. (Lep.: Tortricidae) in the London area C. Plant, 188 Around Greece in fourteen days-1988. C.J.Luckens, 77 Atheta puncticollis Benik (Col.: Staphylinidae) : a postscript. A.A.Alan, 46 Bledius germanicus Wagner (Col.: Staphylinidae) new to Nottinghamshire. S.Wright, 226 Brachypterolus linariae (Steph.) (Col.: Nitidulidae) in Surrey. J.A. Owen, 16 British species of Ampedus Germ. (Col.: Elateridae), notes on easily confused, with corrections of some erroneous records. A.A. Allen, 121 Burnished Brass moth, Diachrysia chrysitis (Lep.: Noctuidae) a nettle specialist? P Waring, 103 Caloptilia rufipennella Hbn. (Lep.: Gracillariidae) in Hampshire R.Dickson 201 Carpelimus halophilus Kies. (Col.: Staphylinidae) and other coleoptera from North Somerset. P.F.Whitehead, 292 Celastrina year. D.G. Down, 120 Cercyon bifenestratus Kuster (Col.: Hydrophilidae) new to Gloucestershire (v.c.33) with notes on C. marinum Thomson. P.F. Whitehead, 248 Cercyon tristis (Illiger) (Cole Hydrophilidae) new to Cheshire P.F. Whitehead, 198 Claviger testaceus Preys. (Col.: Pselaphidae) in pitfall traps near Folkestone, Kent. R.C. Welch, 23 Clytus Laich. and Anaglyptus Muls. (Col.: Cerambycidae) in the British Isles. R.R. Uhthoff-Kaufmann, 111 Collecting notes 1989. M.D.Bryan, 75 Convolvulus Hawk-moth in West Sussex. J.K. Knott, 305 Cossonus linearis F. (Col.: Curculionidae) in Surrey and West Kent. A.A. Allen, 300 Courtship and mating of butterflies. S.F. Henning, 205 Crocidosema plebejana Zell. (Lep.: Tortricidae) in Sussex J.T. Radford, 184 Current Literature, 46-47, 91-93, 148-149, 202-203 Cyclophora pendularia” Ga (eepe Geometridae) near Sandbanks Dorset. G.G. Eastwick-Field, 106 Cynaeda dentalis D. & S. (Lep.: Pyralidae) in Lincolnshire C. Penney, 188 Dates of emergence of Abraxas grossulariata L. (Lep.: Geometidae) in South Cumbria. N.L. Birkett, 144 Death-feigning in Exochomus quadripustulatus L. (Col.: Coccinellidae). A.A. Allen, 23 Death-feigning in ladybirds (Col.) A.J. Baldwin, 192 Defoliation of willow’ trees’ in Northamptonshire by Willow Ermine moth, Yponomeuta rorrella Hiibn. (Lep.: Yponomeutidae) S. Chesser, 117 Delayed emergence in Chloroclystis v-ata Haw. (V-pug) (Lep.: Geometridae). A.M. Riley, 38 Dolerus megapterus Cameron, Pontania tuberculata Benson and other rare sawflies (Hym.: Symphyta) in Warwickshire A. Wright, 287 Dotted Rustic (Rhyacia simulans Hufn. Lep.: Noctuidae) in the west of Scotland. E.G. Hancock, 285 Double-brooded Eupithecia tripunctaria H.-S. (Lep.: Geometridae). M.F.V. Corley, 88 Dwarfism in heterocera - physological response to climatic change in mid-Wales 1989 P.M.Miles, 182 Dystebenna stephensi (Staint.) (Lep.: Cosmopterigidae) in N.W. Kent. D.O'Keeffe, 286 Earliest capture of Cis dentatus Mell. (Col.: Cisidae); with diagnostic notes A.A. Allen, 177 Early butterflies in 1990 R.R. Cook, 224 Early garden carpet. C. Penney, 128 Early Holly Blue P. Miles, 238 Early Meadow Brown, Maniola jurtina L. M.G. Morris, 249 Early occurrence of Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta L. in Cardiganshire in 1990. P.M. Miles, 299 Early or late larva of Pieris brassicae (Lep.: Pieridae) A. Archer-Lock, 251 Early record of Vanessa atalanta L. (Lep.: Nymphaldae) C. Hart, 193 Early sightings of butterflies in the Isle of Wight S.A Knill-Jones, 196 Early sightings of Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) R.C. Dening 297 Early Spring migration S.A. Knill-Jones, 190 Ecological distinctness of Asaphidion flavipes L. and A. Curtum Hey. (Col.: Carabidae) P.F. Whitehead, 197 Ectropis consonaria Hbn. (the Square Spot), ab. waiensis Richardson (Lep.:: Geometridae) in North Wales. J. Platts, 195 Editorial 3 Effects of the mild 1988-1989 winter on beetless in, Worcestershine: . PF. Whitehead, 169 Eilema pygmaeola pygmaeola Doubl. (Lep.: Arctiidae) in Lincolnshire C. Penney, 172 Elachista eskoi Kyri & Karvonen (Lep.: Elachistidae) - a further record M.J. Sterling, 192 Entomological patter. E.H. Wild, 110 Epermenia_ insecurella_ Staint. (Lep.: Epermediidae) in Wiltshire SM. Palmer, 290 ill Epiphyas postvittana (Walk.) (Lep.: Tortricidae) in Leicestershire. J. McPhail, 73 Epirrita filigrammeria H.-S. (Lep.: Geometridae) in Worcestershire. P. Garner, 193 Epirrita, the November moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), in Bernwood Forest on the Oxon./Bucks border. P. Waring, 7 Essex Emerald moth, Thetida smaragdaria maritima Prout (Lep.: Geometridae) — an update. P. Waring, 71 Ethmia jrerminella, Fletch (Lep:: Oecophoridae. Ethmiinae) in Essex. B. Goodey, 69 Eucosmomorpha albersana Hibn. in v.c. 60 (West Lancaster). N.L. Birkett, 46 Eudonia mercurella L. (Lep.: Pyralidae) and kidney vetch. R. Barnett, 301 Eudonia mercurella L. (Lep.: Pyralidae) reared from kidney vetch. J. Robbins, 166 Euonymus japonicus — yet another foodplant of the Holly Blue butterfly, Celastrina argious L. in the London area C.W. Plant, 244 Eupithecia abietaria Goeze., the Cloaked Pug (Lep.: Geometridae) in N.W. Hants. G.G. Eastwick-Field, 90 Eupithecia tripunctaria Herrich-Schaffer, the awhite-spottedi pues (ee pe: Geometridae), a review of the phenology. A.M. Riley and G.M. Prior, 49 Eupithecia tripunctaria H.-S. (Lep.: Geometridae) — a partial second brood. B.P. Henwood, 87 Evergestis extimalis Scop. (Lep.: Pyralidae) in the Isle of Wight . S.A. Knill-Jones, 304 Evergestis limbata L. (Lep.: Pyralidae) new to the British Isles T.D.N. Peet, 302 Further to the search for a safe pest- repellent. A.A. Allen. 297 Garden Tiger moth, Arctia caja L. (Lep.: Artciidae) - a clue to the ideal habitat for the species? P. Waring, 173 Greenhouse effect? Occurrence of Cosmia pyralina D. & S. (Lep.: Noctuidae) in Yorkshire , S.L. Sutton, 90 Habitats of t he Madeiran Grayling, Hipp- archia aristeus maderensis (Lep.: Satyrinae) A.G. Smith & T.G. Shreeve, 275 Occurrence of three new pests of maize in India L.M. Mathur , M.C. Joshi & M. Arif, 279 Haploglossa picipennis (Gyll.) (Col.: Staphylinidae) in the nests of Red Kites A.P. Fowles & J.A. Owen, 186 Hazards of butterfly collecting — Ecuadorian Amazonia 1987. T. B. Larsen, 178 Hazards of butterfly collecting — Iraq 1972. T.B. Larsen, 293 Hazards of butterfly collecting — Yemen, Ibb, 1980. T.B. Larsen 141 Hazards of butterfly collecting — Kakamega, Kenya, 1988. 7.B. Larsen, 246 Hazards of butterfly collecting in tropical places. R.C. Dening, 250 Hazards of butterfly collecting, Tsavo—May 1988. T.B. Larsen, 39 Hazards of butterfly collecting — Ecuador, 1987. T.B. Larsen, 86 Hazel as an important larval foodplant of the Barred Umber, Plagodis pulveraria L. (Lep.: Geometridae). P. Waring, 127 Hellula undalis Fabr. (Lep.: Pyralidae) in 1989. B. Skinner. 146 Hemicoelus nitidus (Herbst) (Col.: Anobiidae) at Windsor. J.A. Owen, 274 Hippotion celerio L. (Lep.: Sphingidae) Silver-striped Hawk-moth in Dorset. B. Skinner, 159 History, ecology and habits of Thecla betulae L. (Lep.: Lycaenidae) in Worcestershire. J.E. Green, 253 Holly Blue, Celastrinus argiolus L. ovipositing on Pyracantha A.A. Allen, 146 Homoneura hospes Allen (Dipt.: Lauxaniidae) : a postscript. A.A. Allen, 127 Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Kent. E.G. Philp, 102 Hydraecia petasitis Doubl. (Lep.: Noctuidae) the Butterbur in Angus. B. Skinner, 152 Immigrant Lepidoptera in mid-Kent, September 1989. D. Chambers, 147 immigration of Lepidoptera to the British Isles in 1989 R.F. Bretherton & J.M. Chalmers-Hunt, 153, 215 Insects and swimming pools. P.F. Whitehead, 295 Interesting behaviour of Vanessa atalanta L. under drought conditions. #H.L. O'Heffernan, 45 Introduction to Volume 1, 1 Is the population of Mythimna pallens L. (Lep.: Noctuidae) sometimes reinforced by immigration? AM. Emmet, 43 Larva of Chrysodeixis chalcites Esp. (Lep.: Noctuidae), Golden Twin-spot in Essex. P. Smytheman, 195 Larvae of the Brown Argus, Aricia agestis D. &S. (Lep.: Lycaenidae) feeding on seeds of Geranium molle B.P. Henwood, 45 Larvae of the Marsh moth, Athetis pallustris Hb (Lep.: Noctuidae) in Lincolnshire C. Penney, 189 Larval case and natural pabulum of Coleophora therinella Teng. J.M. Chalmers-Hunt, 189 Lasius brunneus Lat. (Hym.: Formicidae) rediscovered in Monks Wood NNR. R.C. Welch & J.N. Greatorex-Davies, 291 Late appearance of Pieris brassicae L. the Large White butterfly. A.C.R. Redgrave, 90 Late records of summer moths, and an appeal for information D.F. Owen, 43 Late summer movement of insects in south- east London in 1958 J.F. Burton, 10 Lepidoptera in Vice-county 74 (Wigtown), June 1989. E.F. Hancock, 107 Lepidoptera new to Buckingham Palace Garden in 1989. J.D. Bradley, 118 Lepidoptera on Colonsay and Oronsay, Inner Hebrides. M.R. Young, M.W. Harper & 1. Christie, 281 Lepidoptera records for May 1990. M.C. Townsend & A.M. Riley, 214 Lepidoptera records in Wales and Scotland. M.W. Harper, 243 Leptacinus intermedius Donis (Col.: Staphylinidae), a species little known in Britain. A.A. Allen, 289 Leptocerus tineiformis Curtis: a caddisfly new to Ireland from Pollardstown Fen, Co. Kildare. J.P. O'Connor, J.P. Good & K.G.M. Bond, 115 Lomographa species (Lep.: Geometridae) and Eriogaster lanstris L. (Lep.: Lasciocampidae) overwinter fully developed in the pupa B.P. Henwood, 159 Lozotaeniodes formosanus Geyer (Lep.: Tortricidae) in Somerset. B.E. Slade 147 Maruca testulalis Geyer (Lep.: Pyralidae) in Kent. B.K. West, 44 Melanic form of Carabus clathratus L. (Col.: Carabidae) A.A. Allen, 214 Melanic form of Paradarsia extersaria Hbn. (Lep.: Geometridae) in N.W. Kent B.K. West, 160 Melanism in Biston betularia L. (Lep.: Geometridae) in Kent B.K. West, 175 Microlepidoptera - a review of the year 1988. D. Agassiz, 129 Migrant butterflies in 1989. A.J. Showler, 114 Migrant Lepidoptera from the Sussex coast in October 1989. A.P. Foster, 142 Migrant moths in Devon. M.D. Bryan, 36 Mordellistena nanuloides Ermish (Col.: Mordellidae) from the Isle of Grain, Kent. J.A. Owen, 24 More abnormal courting behaviour in butterflies? /.L. Brydon, 297 Morophaga choragella D. & S. (Lep.: Tineidae) and Ditomyia fasciata Meigen (Dipt.: Mycetophagidae) new to Gloucestershire K.N. A.Alexander, 190 Mothmanship (how to be one-up amongst lepidopterists). Part III: migrants F.H. Wild, 171 Moths and bats: the diet of Lady Ursula Eak. A. Spalding, 19 Nacia cilialis Hbn. (Lep.: Pyralidae) in Hampshire P.M. Potts, 191 Nathriusy, Brethes and Molorchus F. (Col.: Cerambycidae) in Great Britain. R.R. Uhthoff-Kaufmann, 239 New exotic species of Corticariinae (Col.: Latridiidae). C. Johnson, 11 New lepidoptera for Guernsey. A.M. Riley, 294 New microlepidoptera records from Nottinghamshire (v.c. 56) A.S. Boot, 278 Non-feeding final instar of Lycophotia porphyrea (D. & S.) (Lep.: Noctuidae). A.M. Emmet, 128 Notes on Orthoptera from Jersey, Channel Isles. J.F. Burton, 39 Notes on the species pair Cis festivus Panz. and C. vestitus Mell (Col.: Cisidae) A.A. Allen, 177 Notes on three species of Aleochara (s.g. Coprochara Muls. & Rey) (Col.: Staphy- linidae) including two new to Britain. J.A. Owen, 227 Oak Eggar moth — Highflier or upwardly mobile climber? G.M. Haggett, 74 Obituary: J.E. Green, 204 Obituary: R.E.M. Pilcher, 93 Obituary: S.N.A. Jacobs, 5 Occurrence of a Cacyneus species (Lep.: Lycaenidae) in Majorca. E.M. Raynor, 250 Occurrence of the Callidini tribe (Col.: Cerambycidae) in the British Isles R.R. Uhthoff-Kaufmann, 161 Parascotia fuliginaria L. (Lep. :Noctuidae) in Shropshire A.M. Riley, 199 Partial second generation or delayed emergence in the White Spot (Hadena albimacula) (Lep.: Noctuidae). M.M. Parsons, 194 Perizoma_ blandiata Schiff. (Lep.: Geometridae) in West Sussex. J.T. Radford, 147 Philonthus*atratuss = (Grave (Cok: Staphylinidae) new to both Worcestershire (v.c. 37) and Gloucestershire (v.c. 33) P. Whitehead, 242 Phyllonorycter leucographella (Zell.), (Lep.: Gracillariidae). AM. Emmet, 143 Plusia putnami gracilis Lempke and Agrotis ripae Hb. (Lep.: Noctuidae) in Ireland. B. Skinner, 147 Possible overwintering in Britain of Autographa gamma L. (Lep.: Noctuidae) the Silver Y. A.M. & D.K. Riley, 299 Possible second brood Orange-tip butterfly. M. Easterbrook, 193 Presumed occurrence of late broods of Lepidoptera in 1989. S.P. Clancy, 70 Protracted emergence of Eupithecia pusillata D. & S. (Lep.: Geometridae), Juniper Pug. B. Skinner, 213 Purple Hairstreak in swimming pools. H. Mackworth-Praed, 152 Purple Hairstreaks attracted to a swimming pool. M.J. Percival, 4 Pyracantha as a possible foodplant of Holly Blue butterflies Ce/astrina argiolus L. (Lep.: Lycaenidae) in the London area. C.W. Plant, 41 Vi Queen of Spain Fritillary (/ssoria lathonia L.) (Lep.: Nymphalidae) on Madeira — resident or migrant? 7.G. Shreeve & A.G. Smith, 151 Quest for Anarta melanopa Thunb. (Lep.: Noctuidae), the Broad-bordered Yellow Underwing. E.C.L. Simson, 37 Reappearance of Triplax aenea Schaller (Col.: erotylidae) in Surrey. D.A. Prance, 248 Recent records of Eupithecia abietaria Goeze (Lep.: Geometridae). A.M. Riley, 238 Recent records of three Lepidoptera in Jersey. R. Long, 84 Record of Gyrinus minutus (Col.: Gyrinidae) from Cumbria. R.W_J. Read, 64 Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta L.) attracted to a lighted window. J. Koryszko, 89 Return of Eilema sororcula Hufn. (Lep.: Lithosiinae) to N.W. Kent. B.K. West, 251 Return of the White-letter Hairstreak. M.S. Harvey, 74 Rheumaptera hastata hastata L. (Lep.: Geometridae) — a welcome return to Herefordshire. M.W. Harper, 89 Rheumaptera hastata L. (Lep.: Geometridae) in Ireland. B.K. West , 17 Rothamsted farmland light trap network : interesting Lepidoptera Records for May 1990. M.C. Townsend, A.M. Riley, 214 Rothamsted farmland light trap network J.P. Woiwod, A.M. Riley & M.C. Townsend, 201 Safe and practical pest-repellent for insect collections M.G. Morris, 298 Satyrid butterfly in a light trap. P. Roche, 114 Scaphisoma assimile Erichson (Col.: Scaphidiidae) in Kent E.G. Philp, 116 Scopula imitaria Hubn. (Lep.: Geometridae) —anote on voltinism. B.K. West, 109 Scydmaenus rufus Mull. & Kunze. (Col.: Scymaenidae) apparently new to Kent. AA. Allen, 88 Second brood of the Broad-bordered Bee- hawk in 1989. H.L. O'Heffernan, 196 Second brood of the Dotted Footman, Pelosia muscerda Hufn. (Lep.: Arctiidae) in 1989. S.M. Jackson, 69 Second brood records of Lacanobia thalassina Hufn. (Lep.: Noctuidae), the Pale-shouldered Brocade, from Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps A.M. Riley, 248 Semiothisa brunneata Thunb. (Lep.:: Geometridae) Rannoch Looper, a note on life history. B. Skinner, 116 Small Tortoiseshell "courting" a Peacock butterfly. A.A. Allen, 198 Small Tortoiseshell courting a Peacock butterfly? S.A. Knill-Jones, 266 Small Wainscot, Photedes pygmina Haw. (Lep.: Noctuidae) in what stage does it overwinter? B.P. Henwood, 91 Somatic mosaic of Cosmia trapezina L. (Lep.: Noctuidae), the Dun Bar. A.M. Riley, 252 Some interesting second and third brood records of Lepidoptera seen in Yorkshire in 1989. §.M. Jackson, 105 Some notable migrants taken in the Dungeness area, Kent, during 1989. S.P. Clancy, 69 Some observations of the foraging behaviour of Formica fusca L., and successful defence against Formica sanguinea Lat. N. Blacker, 97 Some recent records of localised synanthropic Coleoptera P.F. Whitehead, 303 Status in Bernwood Forest of moth species which are recognised as nationally uncommon. P. Waring, 233 Status of Yponomeuta evonymella L. and Y. rorrella Hiibn. (Lep.: Yponomeutidae) in southern England. A.M. Emmet, 65 Stigmella samiatella (Zell.) (Lep.: Nepticulidae) - a new record for Wiltshire E.G. Smith, 196 Striped Hawkmoth in F.N.H.Smith, 192 Sub-family Asemina (Col.: Cerambycidae) in the British Isles. R.R. Uhthoff-Kaufmann, 55 The 5-spot ladybird in Warwickshire. M.E.N. Majerus, 64 The Cloaked Pug, from Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps. A.M. Riley, 238 Third British capture of Temnostethus tibialis Reut. (Hem.: Anthocoridae). A.A. Allen, 21 Tortricidae (Lep.) at Charlton, S.E. London. A.A. Allen, 9 Towards a safe and practical pest-repellent for insect collection. A.A. Allen, 184 Cornwall Trinodes hirtus F. (Col.: Dermestidae) rediscovered in Suffolk. D. Nash, 186 Trinophylum Bates, Gracillia Serv., Aromia Serv. and Aylotrupes Serv. (Col.: Cerambycidae) in the British Isles. R. Uhthoff-Kaufmann., 267 Two birds with one stone. B.Skinner, 184 Two further Kentish specimens of Pelosia muscerda Hufn. (Lep.: Arctiidae), the Dotted Footman. J. Clarke, 302 Two interesting Carabid captures (Col.) in S.E. London. A.A. Allen, 305 Two interesting Oestridae (Dipt.) from the Scottish Highlands. A.A. Allen, 201 Two old records of Lepidoptera in Jersey. R. Long, 35 Tyria jacobaeae L. (Lep.: Arctiidae) the Cinnabar moth larvae on colt's-foot. A.S. Boot, 305 Unusual abundance of the Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus L. (Lep.: Lycaenidae) in 1989 in parts of Sussex. R.C. Dening, 74 Unusual flight times of Eupithecia tripunctaria H-S., Operophtera brumata L. and Colostygia multistrigaria L. (Lep.: Geometridae) in Rothamstead Insect Survey light traps. A.M. Riley, 303 Unusual foodplant for the plume moth Oidaematophorus lithodactyla Treit. (Lep.: Pterophoridae) B. & J. D. Wallace, 195 Vil Unusual pupation site for Cerula vinula (Lep.: Notodontidae) the Puss Moth. A.M. Riley, 296 Unusual second brood emergences in Cornwall, 1989. A. Spalding, 84 Valesina morph of the butterfly Arginnis paphia (L.) in Corsica, 1988. C.F.A. Brunton, J.D. Baxter, J.A.S. Quartson, A.L. Panchen, 31 Variation in Adalia bipunctata L. (Col.: Coccinellidae). A. Baldwin, 166 Wallace's line? W.J. Tennent, 199 Wasp and a praying mantis. C. Gibson, 86 Watsonian vice-county system. M.G. Morris, 25 West Country revisited. B.R. Baker, 167 What has happened to the Apocheimas? B. Goodey, 193 White Gatekeeper, Pyronis tithonus v. albida Russ. (Lep.: Satyrinae) in Suffolk. G.G. Baldwin, 300 Wing function in the brachypterous female of Diurnea fagella D. & S. (Lep:: Oecophoridae). M.W. Harper, 44 Winter record of Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Kent. P. Heathcote, 185 Xylena exsoleta L., the Sword-grass in v.c.22 Berkshire. B.R. Baker, 20. CONTRIBUTORS Abdulla, E., 47 Agassiz, D., 129 Alexander, K.N.A., 190 Allen, A.A., 9, 21, 23, 46, 88, 121, 127, 146, 177, 184, 198, 201, 214, 248, 289, 297, 300, 304 Archer-Lock, A., 251 Anif, J.C., 279 Baker, B.R., 20, 41, 167 Baldwin, A., 166, 192 Baldwin, G.G., 300 Barnett, R., 301 Baxter, J.D., 31 Birkett, N.A., 46, 144 Blacker, N., 97 Bond, K.G.M., 115 Boot, A.S., 278, 305 Bradley, J.D., 118 Bretherton, R.F., 215 Brunton, C.F.A., 31 Bryna, M.D., 36, 75 Brydon, I.L., 297 Burton, J.F., 10, 39 Campbell, J.L., 308 Chalmers-Hunt, J.M., 4, 153, 189, 215 Chambers D., 147 Chesser, S., 117 Christie, I., 281 Clancey, S.P., 69, 70 Clarke, J., 302 Cook, R.R., 224 Corley, M.F.V., 88 Dening, R.C., 74, 250, 297 Dey, D., 201 Dickson, R., 201 Down, D., 120 Duff, A.G., 296 Vili Easterbrook, M., 193 Eastwick-Fields, G.G., 90, 106 Emmet, A.M., 44, 65, 128, 143 Foster, A.P., 142 Fowles, A.P., 186 Garner, P., 193 Gibson, C., 86 Good, J.P., 115 Goodey, B., 69, 193 Greatorex-Davies, J.N., 291 Green, J.E., 253 Haggett, G.M., 74 Hancock, E.F., 107 Hancock, E.G., 285 Harper, M.W., 44, 89, 243, 281 Hart, C., 193 Harvey, M.S., 74 Heathcote, P., 185 Hendy, J., 47 Henning, S.F., 205 Henwood, B.P., 45, 87, 91, 159 Jackson, S.M., 69, 105 Johnson, C., 11 Joshi, M.C., 279 Kaufmann, R.R. Uhthoff-, 55, 111, 161, 239, 267 Kennard, A., 238 Knill-Jones, S.A., 190, 196, 266, 304 Knott, J.K., 305 Koryszko, J., 89 Larsen, T.B., 39, 86, 141, 178, 246, 293 Long, R., 35, 84 Luckens, C.J., 77 Mackworth-Praed, H., 152 Majerus, M.E.N., 64 Mathur, L.M., 279 McPhail, J., 73 Miles, P.M., 182, 238, 299 Morris, M.G., 25, 249, 298 Nash, D., 186 O'Connor, J.P., 115 O'Heffernan, H.L., 45, 196 O'Keeffe, D., 286 Owen, D.F., 43, 76 Owen, J.A., 16, 24, 145, 186, 227, 274 Palmer, S.M., 290 Panchen, A.L., 31 Parsons, M., 194 Peet, T.D.N., 302 Penney, C.C., 128, 172, 188, 189, 203 Perceval, M.J., 4 Philp, E.G., 102, 116 Plant, C.W., 41, 244 Platts, J., 195 Potts, P.M., 191 Prance, D.A., 248 Prior, G.M., 49 Quartson, J.A.S., 31 Radford, J.T., 147, 184 Raynor, E.M., 250 Read, R.W.J., 64 Redgrave, A.C.R., 90 Riley, A.M., 39, 94, 198, 201, 214, 238, 248, 252, 294, 296, 303, Robbins, J., 166 Roche, P., 114 Showler, A.J., 114 Shreeve, T.G., 151, 275 Simson, E.C.L., 37 Skinner, B., 116, 146, 147, 152, 159, 184, 213 Slade, B.E., 147 Smith, A.G., 151, 275 Smith, E.G., 196 Smith, F.N.H., 192 Smytheman, P., 195 Sokoloff, P.A., 3, 5, 92, 148, 149, 306, 307, 202 Spalding, A., 19, 44, 84 Sutton, S.L., 90 Sterling, M.J., 192 Tennent, W.J., 199 Townsend, A.M., 201 Townsend, M.C., 214 Wallace, I.D., 195 Waring, P., 7, 71 103, 127, 173, 233 Welch, R.C., 23, 45, 225, 291 West, B.K., 17, 44, 109, 160, 175, 251 Whitehead, P., 169, 197, 198, 242, 248, 292, 295, 303 Wild, E.H., 110, 171 Woiwood, I.P., 201 Wright, A., 287 Wright, S., 226 Young, M.R., 281 Printed in England by Cravitz Printing Company Limited, 1 Tower Hill, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4TA. Tel: 0277-224610 2SR CENTENNIAL VOLUME MOL 107 Nos 1—2 FraVvitaZa7 5 LiSRARY PELE: ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD JOURNAL OF VARIATION. EDITED BY POA SOKOLOEF ER: s. sar r nan. JAN UARY/ F EBRUARY 1990 AI RPL ISSN 0013-3916 DUNN & HEWETTS ICELAND MOSS “imo” COCOA, “iret NUTRITIOUS! DIGESTIBLE!! TONIC!!! INVALUABLE TO EARLY RISERS. — Most Valuable to those whose pursuits involve Exposure to Damp or Night Air. NO OTHER COCOA IS SO EASILY DIGESTIBLE. NOTE.—If Country Customers find any difficulty in procuring DUNN & HEWETT'S ICELAND. MOSS COCOA, they are respectfully informed that the same can be procured at 1g. 4d. per |b., carriage paid (not less than 2ibs. supplied), direct from the Manufactory, PENTONVILLE, LONDON N. WILLIAM WESLEY & SON, Scientific Booksellers and Publishers, 28, ESSEX STREET, STRAND, LONDON, Will shortly publish A NEW CATALOGUE OF ENTOMOLOGICAL WORKS, New and Second-hand, English and Foreign, including many new purchases. About 1,000 Books and Pamphlets. Post free for 4d. 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THOMAS COOKE & SON, NATURALISTS, DEALERS IN ENTOMOLOGICAL APPARATUS, &c, (ESTABLISHED AT 513, NEW OXFORD STREET IN 1857) 30, MUSEUM STREET, OXFORD STREET, W.C. PPP PLP LPP PLPPLPL LPL PPP PP PRICE LIST, 2 STAMPS. RAYLEIGH VILLA, WESTCOMBE HILL, Lonpon, S.E. April, 1890. My Dear SIR (OR MADAw), In view of the greatly increasing Scientific Study of Entomology in the British Isles, it has long been apparent that the current literature is altogether inadequate to the wants of British Entomologists. The two London Journals devoted to the Science are doing good work in the more strictly scientific and descriptive branches of the subject, particularly in that part relating to Foreign Entomology and to the lesser known British orders. In order to supply a Magazine devoted entirely to the wants of British Entomologists, restricted to their own fauna, and such parts of Foreign Entomology as aid them in the thorough understanding of the British species, THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD AND FOURNAL OF VARIATION has been started, and is now herewith commended to your favourable notice. The subject matter will, as far as possible, be arranged under certain heads to facilitate reference thereto. Variation will occupy a leading position, and it is trusted that Collectors will record the varieties they capture or meet with, which, if regularly recorded, are of the utmost scientific value. To Collectors themselves I appeal with confidence, to make that part of the Magazine under the head of ‘‘ Collecting, etc.” instructive and interesting. Much of the more im- portant information I have learned from other Entomologists nas been obtained in a casual way from letters, the writers of which, at the time, have thought of very little consequence. 2 Exchange notices are invited and are inserted free, and the Magazine being primarily intended for British Collectors, a special feature will be made of this column. As the Magazine is issued in the middle of the month, Exchanges can be re- ceived later than in other magazines. The well-known Lepidopterist, Dr. T. A. Chapman, will write a series of papers ‘“‘ On the genus Acronycta and its real and supposed allies” which will be illustrated by Chromo- lithograph plates, illustrating the ovum, larva (in different stages), and pupa of each species. This series of papers will be as important and instructive to Scientific Lepidopterists as to Collectors. Other well-known Entomologists have also kindly offered their assistance not only in Lepidoptera, but also in other orders. The Annual Subscription, including plates and double numbers, is 6s., payable in advance, post free, within the United Kingdom, and should be sent to ‘‘ The Editor,” c/o Mr. E. Knight, 18 and 19, Middle Street, London, E.C., where also Notices of Exchange, Communications for Pubiication, and Advertisements should be addressed. All Subscribers forwarding their Annual Subscription on or before April 30th will be supplied with a second copy of the first number gratis for distribution, upon application to that effect. The Magazine will be posted so as to reach subscribers in the United Kingdom by the 15th of each month. While thanking those numerous friends who have already subscribed, we trust you will not only give your own cordial support, but also introduce this Magazine to the favourable notice of your friends. I am, dear Sir (or Madam), Yours faithfully, J. W. TUTT. a™ AND Vy JOURNAL OF VARIATION. Editorial ALTHOUGH the Royal Telegram is not officially expected until April, 1990 marks the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Record by J.W. Tutt. With Volume 1, number 1, Tutt included a two-page introduction, which is reproduced in facsimile at the front of this issue. The pagination of this introduction duplicated that of the text and thus in many bound copies of the Record these two pages are either missing, or replaced by a “preface to volume 1”’ which was actually published in 1891. For this year we are changing the design of the front cover to match that of Volume 1. The motif, which was specially drawn for the Record by F.W. Frohawk, is an elegant composition of flowering honeysuckle attended by an humble bee, with larva and pupa (and even an eaten leaf) of the White Admiral butterfly. Regular readers will be familiar with the design, which has appeared on the title page for the last 100 years — but it also graced the front cover from April 1890 until December 1918. The delicacy of Frohawk’s illustration has often been obscured by indifferent printing; in 1954 the bee lost a number of abdominal hairs and in 1957 a sizeable chunk of the right forewing disappeared! Both hairs and forewing were lovingly reinstated in 1987. The only omissions from today’s front cover are the address of the original printer and the enigmatic phrase ‘‘price sixpence’’. Readers with copies of the first volumes will be relieved that we have chosen not to copy the original colour of the cover — an indifferent shade of grey. In this issue we reproduce a selection of advertisements that appeared in Vol. 1 no.1 — readers are asked to note that the prices quoted in the Watkins and Doncaster advertisement are no longer current. During 1990 we will publish the inevitable selection of ‘100 years ago”’ items, and a few fragments of the history of the Record. Readers may rest assured that the bulk of the journal will still be devoted to matters of current entomological interest. PAUL SOKOLOFF 4 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 Purple Hairstreaks attracted to a swimming pool Purple Hairstreaks (Quercusia quercus Linn.) are rare visitors to our garden. In the last 20 years I have seen only three. 1989 has however been exceptional, during the first days of August I had seen three. Then on the evening of 5th August I found two in the swimming pool, one dead and one still alive. I found another in the pool on the morning of 6th. The pool was then in use for the rest of the day and no more were seen. However I found another in the pool at 10.00 am on the morning of the 7th and two more at lunch time. I kept a periodic eye on the pool on the 8th and found another in it at 12.45. During this period the weather was warm and sunny. It then turned more windy and cloudy and no more were seen. Those that I rescued alive were all placed some distance from the pool to dry out. Although I cannot be sure, I think the seven removed from the pool over this four day period were all different specimens, they were of both sexes and all past their prime. I never actually saw one entering the water, but from their position in the pool, they had all clearly alighted on the water surface, not fallen in from the edge. Although there are oak trees in the area, there are none near the pool. We have had this pool for many years and although we find the odd small moth in it from time to time, only once before have I found a butterfly. Some years ago I found a very worn Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina Linn.). I suspect this simply fell in in extreme old age. We have lots of other butterflies, browns, whites and vanessids in the garden and this year particularly large numbers of Holly Blues (Celastrina argiolus Linn.). None of these are attracted to the pool. There are two ponds in the garden but the Purple Hairstreaks do not seem to be attracted to them. I can only assume it is the pale blue colour of the swimming pool that attracts them. While I do not know of other reports of this suicidal behaviour, there have been a number of records of Purple Hairstreaks being attracted to light traps at night. Perhaps this fatal attraction for our swimming pool is part of the same phenomenon. — M.J. PERCIVAL, Holmesdale Cottage, Mid-Holmwood, Dorking, Surrey RH5 4HF. Aplota palpella Haworth (Lep.: Oecophoridae) in Kent Three specimens of this local moth were taken by myself and Mr Dennis O’ Keeffe, in an m.v. trap in the National Trust woods adjoining Scotney Castle, Kent. The first two appeared on the night of the 2nd August 1989, and the third moth on that of the 8th August 1989. On both occasions the temperature at midnight was around the 17°C mark, and moths were attracted in considerable numbers. So far as I am aware, this is the first record of occurrence of A. palpella in Kent. — J.M. CHALMERS-HUNT, 1 Hardcourts Close, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9LG. OBITUARY 5 wor Pete sonal Gee Se STANLEY JACOBS, 1896 - 1989. (Photograph taken at British Museum (Natural History) xi. 1983.) OBITUARY Stanley Norman Aflalo Jacobs 1896 - 1989 Stanley Jacobs passed away on 14th September 1989 at the age of 92. A figure on the entomological ‘‘scene’’ since the early 1920s, his influence was wide, ranging from his editorship of the Record, published illustrations of microlepidoptera to curatorial work at the British Museum (Natural History). Born on 11th November 1896 he spent his early life in south-east London, attending St Dunstan’s College, Catford which he left in 1914 to take up a post as an engineering apprentice with Vickers. At the outbreak of the First World War he tried to enlist, but was too young for a commission. He eventually joined the Public School Batallion of the 16th Middlesex Regiment and with them served two and a half years in France, transferring to the Royal Engineers in 1918 before being invalided home after exposure to mustard gas. After the war he took up agriculture, working mainly with poultry, and including a spell working in Canada. Eventually he joined his father’s shipbroking business, remaining there, except for a spell in the 6 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 Metropolitan Police Special Constabulary during the Second World War, until his retirement. His interest in entomology began in early childhood, inspired by his grandfather’s personal ‘‘museum’’ — a fashionable feature of the Victorian home, and his father’s accounts of collecting Apollo butterflies in Germany. His first collection began in 1906, and comprised a series of ‘‘whites’’ on dressmaker’s pins, stored in cardboard boxes. This eventually grew to 180 drawers, the contents of which were incorporated into the National Collection some years ago. He joined the South London Entomological and Natural History Society in 1923. He held a number of offices and was twice elected as President of the Society — in 1954 and 1964, and became an honorary life member in 1967. Perhaps the most significant aspect of joining the SLENHS in the 1920s and 30s was the opportunity to mix with and meet the (now) famous names, including H.J. Turner, Robert and Guy Adkin, L.T. Ford, E.A. Cockayne, N.D. Riley, K.G. Blair, S. Wakely, W. Fassnidge and W.H. Tams. Through these, Jacobs developed a network of international contacts, many of whom became personal friends, including L. Lhomme, J. Klimesch, A.G. Carolsfeld-Krause, A.B. Klots and D. Povolny. Before the Second World War he began working part-time at the British Museum (Natural History), developing an interest in insects which were stored-product pests. He increased his voluntary work for the museum after his retirement in 1962, and was responsible for the curation of a number of collections, mainly the pyralidae. In 1973 he was made an Honorary Associate of the Museum. Stanley Jacobs was also a talented artist. Amongst his more well-known works were many of the colour plates published by the SLENHS in their series on microlepidoptera, and which were published in 1978 as the collected volume J/lustrated papers on British microlepidoptera. He also painted the colour plates for B.P. Beirne’s British pyralid and plume moths, published by Warne in 1952 and illustrated many entomological papers with line drawings. His association with the Entomologist’s Record began in 1948 when Henry Turner asked him to join the editorial panel. After the resignation of E.A. Cockayne as editor in 1955, P.B.M. Allan took over as a ‘‘caretaker’’, and it was he who persuaded Jacobs to take over the role of editor a few months later. He edited the Record for 17 years during which time he restored the ailing fortunes of the journal, and laid the foundations for the current format. He retired as editor, handing over to Michael Chalmers-Hunt, in 1972. Stanley Jacobs was a cheerful and determined character, undeterred by the problems of advancing years, and active until the end. Our sympathy goes to his daughter, Mrs Ann Newman. PAUL SOKOLOFF THE NOVEMBER MOTHS 7 ON THE GENUS EPIRRITA, THE NOVEMBER MOTHS (LEPIDOPTERA: GEOMETRIDAE), IN BERNWOOD FOREST ON THE OXON/BUCKS BORDER. P.WARING Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough PE] 1UA. THE three species of this genus which occur in southern England, namely the November moth, Epirrita dilutata D. & S., the Pale November moth, E. christyi Allen and the Autumnal moth, EF. autumnata Borth, are difficult to separate when examining light trap catches in the field because of superficial similarities, so I collected a series of about SO at the above site, mainly during the 1984 season, for later examination. I also reared a few of the Epirrita larvae that I beat from various trees and shrubs to see how the choice of host plants compared with the other work on the subject, which is summarised in Haggett (1981). Among the set specimens I was able to assign some of the more clearly marked specimens to F. dilutata and others to E. autumnata using the wing characteristics given in Skinner (1984) and Skou (1986), but I was left with a large number of undetermined specimens and no definite E. christyi. The apparent absence of E. christyi from the series was of interest as the species does not appear in the local lists for the Oxford district (Bretherton 1940; Bretherton 1941, Emmet 1948) although EF. christyi was recognised as a distinct species three decades earlier (Allen 1906). In addition it appears that no previous workers have reported EF. christyi in Bernwood though both EF. dilutata and E. autumnata have been recorded regularly since the 1930s and ’40s (Waring, in prep.). Recently I took my full series of specimens to Adrian Riley who identifies the light trap catches for the nation-wide Rothamsted Insect Survey and who has examined and dissected a great many specimens of this genus. Using both wing characteristics and other features such as the spurs on the octavals (Heslop-Harrison, 1933), he finds that the series contains twenty two E. dilutata, twenty-four E. autumnata and two E. christyi. Of the specimens of E. dilutata seventeen were taken between 9 October and 12 November 1984 and the numbers are distributed throughout this period. Two specimens were added to the collection in 1985 and a further three were reared from larvae. Ten of the E. autumnata were reared from larvae, the other fourteen were caught as adults between 9 October and 12 November 1984. All but the first of these adults occurred after 29 October so the earlier specimens were predominantly E. dilutata, though both species were equally common over the 1984 season as a whole. Of the two E. christyi, one was taken on 22 October 1984 and the other was reared from a larva beaten from hazel on 6 May 1985, so E. christyi is breeding in Bernwood. Birch was the only host-plant from which I recorded E. autumnata and 8 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 these were collected from the birch regrowth that is now common along the edges of the rides in Bernwood. Heslop-Harrison (1933) and Skinner (1984) suggest that birch and alder (both of which are members of the Betulaceae) are the main host-plants of E. autumnata. Heslop-Harrison observed that E. autumnata ‘‘prefers a much more open situation than E. dilutata and hence is much more likely to be encountered on trees marshalled in linear fashion along upland ‘streams; © «=: + .in “moorland relents . .. along mill-races and so on.’’ He only found it in one really dense wood in his study area, which was Northumberland and Durham. The Bernwood situation, with lines of rideside birch regrowth on the margins of young conifer plantations, has similarities with some of the habitats Heslop- Harrison describes. The three specimens of E. dilutata that I reared were collected from hazel. I also recorded larvae which I considered to be typically E. dilutata from oak and hawthorn in the same places. These particular larvae were bright velvety-green (as noted by Haggett 1981), unmarked with red and with a prominent yellow lateral stripe around the posterior segments. I am not clear why E. christyi is so poorly represented in my sample. Harper (1980) found it commonly in woodland in his study area in Herefordshire, where it occurred on birch, hawthorn and hazel as well as blackthorn, beech and wych elm. Birch, hawthorn and hazel are the three most abundant understorey species in Bernwood and my study area included mature birch as well as regrowth. The blackthorn thickets are well- known, but beech is localised to one plantation and a few scattered specimens. Wych elm (Ul/mus glabra) is un-recorded, though English elm (Ulmus procera) is a minor component (Woodell, unpubl.). Heslop- Harrison (1933) considered that in Northumberland and Durham E. christyi was dependent on the presence of wych elm. Although he found larvae on sallow, hazel and honeysuckle, they were never found on these plants in sites where wych elm was absent and wych elm provided over 85% of the larvae that were beaten. Wych elm was also a feature of the woodland site studied by Harper (1980) in Hereford though FE. christyi occurred in smaller numbers at three other sites. Perhaps the absence of wych elm from Bernwood is a factor contributing to the apparent rarity of E. christyi there. I would be glad to hear of sites where E. christyi is common and wych elm and beech are absent, provided that voucher specimens of E. christyi exist which can be examined. Clearly these moths are an interesting as well as a difficult genus. Acknowledgements The moths were collected during a study supported by Oxford Polytechnic. I thank the Forestry Commission and the Nature Conservancy Council for permission to work in Bernwood Forest Nature Reserve and Adrian Riley of Rothamsted Insect Survey for his help in identifying the specimens. THE NOVEMBER MOTHS 9 References Allen, J.E.R., 1906. Oporabia christyi Prout: a distinct species. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 18: 85-89. Bretherton, R.F., 1940. A list of the macro-lepidoptera of the Oxford district. Proceedings of the Ashmolean Natural History Society 1939: 25-70. Bretherton, R.F., 1941. Additions to the list of macro-lepidoptera of the Oxford district. Proceedings and report of the Ashmolean Natural History Society 1940: 22-23. Emmet, A.M., 1948. Second supplement to the list of macro-lepidoptera of the Oxford district. Proceedings and report of the Ashmolean Natural History Society 1941-1947: 47-55. Haggett, G.M., 1981. Larvae of the British lepidoptera not figured by Buckler. British Entomological and Natural History Society, London. Harper,M., 1980. Observations on Epirrita dilutata (Denis and Schiffermuller) and Epirrita christyi (Allen) (Lep: Geometridae) in Herefordshire. Proc. trans. Br. ent. nat. Hist. Soc. 13: 106-116. Heslop-Harrison, J.W. 1933. The autumnal moths of the genus Oporinia Hb. with an account of a new American species. Transactions of the Northern Naturalists Union 1: 111-136. Skinner, B., 1984. Colour identification guide to moths of the British Isles. Viking. Middx. Skou, P., 1986. The geometroid moths of North Europe. Entomonograph 6. Brill. Copenhagen. Waring, P., in prep. Provisional annotated list of macro-moths, including all known historical records, for the Hell Coppice/Shabbington Wood complex, Bernwood Forest, Buckinghamshire, including the Bernwood Meadows. (Note: a first draft of the above is available for comments and addenda.) Woodell, S. unpubl. Vascular plant species list for Bernwood. Appendix | in Rowell, T.A., 1979. History and management of Bernwood Forest. Unpublished B.Sc. thesis. Oxford Polytechnic. A note on two Tortricinae (Lep.) at Charlton, S.E. London I have been somewhat surprised at the recent appearance here of Argyrotaenia ljungiana Thunb. (= pulchellana Haw.), an inhabitant of heathland. The first three came to my m.v. lamp on the night of 5.viii.88, and many (in some variety) on that of 22.vii.89. I had not previously met with it anywhere, nor does this area seem at all suitable to it; there is no wild heather or ling and nothing today, of a truly heathy character. However, there is a small ericetum of recent standing in Charlton Park, so I am much inclined to think that /jungiana must have been introduced into the locality with some of the plants. Sokoloff (Ent. Rec. 98: 254-255) records breeding this species from the fruits of Vitis vinifer collected from a garden in Battersea, London which may provide an alternative explanation for its occurrence in Charlton. Lt. Col. Emmet kindly named the moth for me. I should perhaps also mention that Epiphyas postvittana Walk. has rapidly become so numerous here as to be, on many nights, the most 10 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 abundant tortricid and one of the commonest moths at the lamp — in both broods. I suppose this is now fairly general experience around London, but having seen no positive statement to that effect, I think it worth placing on record. It is also frequently to be met with by day, in casual specimens, about the gardens here — in flight,or sitting on hedges etc., the former probably resulting from disturbance. — A.A. ALLEN, 49 Montcalm Road, Charlton, London SE7 8QG. Late summer movement of insects in south-east London in 1958. I came upon an account of the above when browsing through my natural history diaries. During a Football League match at the Valley Stadium, Charlton, London SE7, between 3 pm and 5 pm BST on 23.vili.1958, I noticed a fairly strong movement of Diptera and some Lepidoptera south- south-eastwards across the field of play. At 3 pm when the match began, slight rain was falling from an overcast sky, but by 3.30 pm it began to clear and, when the sun came out soon afterwards, a Meadow Brown butterfly (Maniola jurtina L.) flew SSE just above the heads of the spectators packed on the terraces. A few minutes later two Large Whites (Pieris brassicae L.) flew over the heads of the crowd in exactly the same manner together with considerable numbers of Diptera, mainly Bibionidae (possibly the Fever-fly Dilophus febrilis L.) and, to a lesser extent, Syrphidae — all going in the same direction, SSE. The wind, at the time, was light and from the SSW. It may have been sufficiently strong to have deviated the insects from flying directly south. My observations ceased when the match ended at 5 pm, but the movement was still continuing. If this SSE line of flight over Charlton is projected back over the adjacent River Thames, is passes more or less directly along the line of the Lea Valley in north-east London, a comparatively unbuilt- upon strip of land passing through some densely urbanised districts. It was the current fashion in 1958 to wear cheap, bright yellow plastic capes, and many spectators sported them. Many of the Bibionids and the Syrphids alighted on these capes, causing considerable annoyance to their owners. Most flew too high, incidentally, to cause more than minor irritation to the footballers. I witnessed similar movements southwards over the River Thames involving Bibionids, Syrphids and Lepidoptera in late September, 1949 (Burton, J.F., 1950, Entom. 83: 203-206) and in early October 1950 (Burton, J.F. & Owen, D.F., 1951, Entom. 84: 160-161). As described in the first paper, my friend Dr D.F. Owen encountered such a movement south over the Thames marshes at Cliffe, Kent, on 29.vili.1948, the same month in which I saw the movement at Charlton. — J.F. BURTON, Wasserturmstrasse 53, 6904 Eppelheim-Heidelberg, West Germany, 31.vii.1989. NEW EXOTIC CORTICARIINAE 11 NEW EXOTIC SPECIES OF CORTICARIINAE (COL.: LATRIDITDAE) COLIN JOHNSON Department of Entomology, Manchester Museum, The University, Manchester M13 9PL. THE subfamily Corticariinae currently includes about 450 described world species, and these occur in all zoogeographical regions. Corticarines are easily recognised superficially by their pubescent form, as opposed to the almost entirely glabrous Latridiinae. Their size is small, mostly within the range 1.2 - 2.5 mm. Colours are predominantly shades of yellow, brown and black, mostly unicolorous or bicolorous, although some exceptional variegated species are known. A genus such as Corticaria Marsham exhibits quite a range of external forms and differences which permit the ready identification of many species, even though many difficult groups rely upon aedeagal studies for identification. On the other hand, the genera Corticarina Reitter, Melanophthalma Motschulsky and _ Cortinicara Johnson are remarkably uniform in appearance. Their male genitalia fortunately provide excellent diagnostic characters and are thus essential for identification; unassociated females are frequently unidentifiable however. These three genera are commonly collected. They are especially to be found by sweeping and beating trees and vegetation, on flowers, at light, whilst others can only be collected by sieving humid and decaying plant debris. The aim of the present paper is to describe and characterise some new Corticarina and Cortinicara which have accumulated over the last eight years. References to works dealing with allied species are given where appropriate, as the genera have not yet been monographed. Abbreviations have been used to indicate the institutional source of studied material as follows: BMNH — British Museum (Natural History), London; MHNG — Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Geneva; MM — Manchester Museum; ZML — Zoological Museum, University of Lund. Corticarina baranowskii sp.n. Length 1.33 - 1.52 mm; head breadth 0.31 - 0.33 mm; pronotal breadth 0.42 - 0.49 mm; elytral breadth 0.64 - 0.70 mm; antennal length 0.51 - 0.56 mm. Colour dark, brownish-black, head and elytra often brownish; legs yellowish-brown; antennae with the basal segment yellowish-brown, stem paler basally, increasingly infuscated in the apical half or so. Antennal segments moderately long, slender; segment 8 quadrate to slightly longer than broad; 9 conical and markedly longer than broad; 10 about as long as broad, the club narrow and gradual. Body rather markedly convex. Pronutum moderately broad, 1.26 - 1.36 times as broad as long, broadest around middle, sides moderately rounded; post median depression distinct, lateral impressions absent; surface rather shining, alutaceous microsculpture fine and distinct; puncturation moderate, rather close, discal punctures c. half a 12 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 diameter apart or less; hind angles toothed. Elytra somewhat short oval, 2.50 - 2.71 times as long as pronotum, 1.38 - 1.41 times as long as broad, broadest around middle; sides moderately curved; surface shining, not reticulate; elytral pubescence feebly curved, almost flat, the hairs c. 0.04 - 0.048 mm, barely overlapping. Winged. Male: anterior tibial tooth moderate, ventral, situated close to the apical third; aedeagus fig.1. Holotype male. Mexico — Chiapas: 18 km E San Cristobal, 2500 m, 30.ix.1986, sifting litter under shrubs in pine-oak forest, leg. R. Baranowski (ZML). Paratypes. Mexico — same data, 1 female (ZML); 17 km SE San Cristobal, 2400 m. 26.ix.1986, sifting litter in pine-oak forest, leg. R. Baranowski, 1 female (ZML); 23 km W San Cristobal, 2200 m, 25.1x.1986, sifting leaflitter under shrubs, leg. R. Baranowski, 1 female (ZML); 23 km W San Cristobal, 2200 m, 25.ix.1986, sifting leaflitter under shrubs, leg. R. Baranowski, 1 male (ZML); Pueblo Nuevo, 1400 m, 20.ix.1986, sifting leaflitter in mixed deciduous forest, leg. R. Baranowski, 1 female (ZML). This species can be easily recognised by the characteristic aedeagus. On external features: dark colour, shining surface, convexity, and antennal club structure, the species seems not to have any close congeners. Other Mexican species are hoegei Johnson (Johnson, 1979) and subfusca Sharp, although males of the latter are not yet known. Corticarina reidi sp.n. Length 1.66 mm; head breadth 0.35 mm; pronotal breadth 0.48 mm; elytral breadth 0.68 mm; antennal length 0.56 mm. Head and pronotum black, elytra dark brownish-black; legs dark brown, tarsi with basal segment lighter, apical segment darker; antennae with basal segment dark brown, segment 2 light brown, stem segments 3 - 7 increasingly infuscated apically, club brownish-black. Antennal segments moderately long, slender; segment 8 broader than long, 9 slightly longer than broad, 10 about as long as broad, club rather narrow and gradual. Body somewhat strongly convex. Pronotum relatively narrow, 1.19 times as broad as long, broadest in front of middle, sides almost moderately curved; post median depression feeble, lateral impressions absent; surface little shining, alutaceous microsculpture fine and distinct; puncturation somewhat fine, moderately close, shallow; hind angles finely toothed. Elytra long oval, 2.6 times as long as pronotum, 1.53 times as long as broad, broadest around middle; humeri effaced, callus absent; sides moderately curved; pubescence slightly curved, a little raised, the hairs c. 0.035 mm, slightly overlapping. Brachypterous, wings narrower and distinctly shorter than an elytron. Male: anterior tibial tooth somewhat small, ventral, situated in front of the middle; aedeagus fig. 4. Holotype male. Colombia — Laguna de Tota,72°50’W, 5°30’'N, 3000 m, 21-30.vii.1982, swept from Typha/Scirpus on lake shore, leg. C. Reid (MM). The body shape and convexity of this species is reminiscent of the European Corticaria impressa (Olivier), but with Corticarina characters. Amongst the neotropical members of its genus, re/di occupies an isolated NEW EXOTIC CORTICARIINAE 13 position, differing markedly in body shape, convexity and other features from the Costa Rican kraussi Johnson, the only other known brachypterous species (Johnson, 1981). The aedeagi of both species are very characteristic. Corticarina blatchleyi sp.n. Length 1.20 - 1.36 mm; head breadth 0.29 - 0.33 mm; pronotal breadth 0.40 - 0.48 mm; elytral breadth 0.61 - 0.72 mm; antennal length 0.41 - 0.43 mm. Body entirely reddish, elytra usually somewhat infuscated and darker; legs and antennae pale, entirely reddish-yellow. Antennal segments rather short; segment 8 broader than long, 9 + as broad as long, 10 markedly broader than long, club rather narrow, hardly abrupt. Body moderately convex. Pronotum rather broad, 1.27 - 1.38 times as broad as long, broadest around middle, sides moderately curved; post median depression distinct, lateral impressions not apparent; surface little shining, alutaceous microsculpture fine and distinct; puncturation fine, very shallow, rather spaced, discal punctures 1.5 - 2 diameters apart; hind angles moderately toother. Elytra almost short oval, 2.51 - 2.86 times as long as pronotum, 1.30 - 1.36 times as long as broad; broadest around middle, sides moderately curved; elytral pubescence very fine and short, almost flat, hairs c. 0.03 mm, not overlapping. Winged. Male: anterior tibial tooth ventral, moderate in size, situated in front of the middle; aedeagus fig. 2. Holotype male. USA — Florida: Dunedin, leg. W.S. Blatchley (BMNH). Paratypes. USA — same data, 5 females (BMNH). This species comes between clayae Johnson from Guyana and the nearctic cavicollis (Mannerheim) in general appearance, colour, shape and sculpture. All three species can be easily separated by their male aedeagi (Johnson, 1972b, 1981). Corticarina fukiensis sp.n. Length 1.40 -1.68 mm; head breadth 0.36 - 0.40 mm; pronotal breadth 0.46 - 0.53 mm; elytral breadth 0.66 - 0.78 mm; antennal length 0.46 - 9.56 mm. Colour very dark brown, head and pronotum often brownish-black; legs pale brown; first antennal segment pale brown, stem with at least segment 2 and usually most of segments 3 - 8 yellowish, club darkened. Antennal segments rather short, 8 broader than long, 9 about as long as broad, 10 very slightly broader than long, club short and little abrupt. Body moderate convex. Pronotum 1.32 - 1.41 times as broad as long, broadest somewhat in front of middle, sides somewhat moderately curved; post median depression distinct, lateral impressions absent; surface little shining, alutaceous microsculpture fine and distinct; puncturation moderate, very close; hind angles moderately toothed. Elytra long oval, rather narrow, 2.80 - 2.98 times as long as pronotum, 1.41 - 1.46 times as long as broad, sides rather weakly to almost moderately curved; elytral pubescence curved, very slightly raised, hairs c. 0.04 - 0.48 mm, slightly overlapping. Winged. Male: anterior tibial tooth moderate, ventral, situated almost at the apical third; aedeagus fig. 3. Holotype male. China — Fukien: Kuatun, Tschung Sen, 20.x.1946, leg. J. Klapperich (MM). Paratypes. China — same data but 20.11. - 2.iv.1946, 20 males, 36 females (MM). 14 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 In aedeagus structure and general form, this species is allied to the north Indian biharensis Johnson and strandi Johnson, although closest to the latter in aedeagal details and body size. On external features, fukiensis is very difficult to distinguish from strandi, but is immediately separable on aedeagal features — the aedeagus is larger and more twisted, differently shaped in profile (see Johnson, 1972a, 1979). Corticarina carinifrons sp.n. Length 1.49 - 1.66 mm; head breadth 0.33 - 0.37 mm; pronotal breadth 0.44 - 0.50 mm; elytral breadth 0.69 - 0.80 mm; antennal length 0.56 - 0.64 mm. Colour dark brown; legs pale brown; first antennal segment pale brown, stem paler, yellowish- brown; club Ye infuscated and darker than first segment. Antennal segments rather long, 8 as long or slightly longer than broad; 9 and 10 conical, longer than broad; club long and narrow. Body rather markedly convex, especially the somewhat humped elytra. Head with a median longitudinal carina. Pronotum rather small, 1.21 - 1.31 times as broad as long, broadest somewhat in front of middle, sides moderately curved; post median depression and lateral impressions well-developed; surface little shining, alutaceous microsculpture feeble; puncturation moderate, very close, punctures almost touching and interstices somewhat ridge-like; hind angles rather finely toothed. Elytra long oval, 2.90 - 3.02 times as long as the pronotum, 1.39 -1.47 times as long as broad, sides moderately curved; elytral pubescence curved and slightly outstanding, hairs c. 0.07 - 0.08 mm, long and conspicuously over-lapping. Winged. Legs slender; hind tarsi with basal segment long and thin. Male: anterior tibial tooth moderate, ventral, situated at the apical third; aedeagus fig. 5. Holotype male. China — Fukien: Tschung Sen, 17.11.1946, leg. J. Klapperich (MM). Paratypes. China — same data but 17.11. - 2.iv.1946, 3 males, 6 females (MM). This species is very reminiscent of the Himalayan cognata Johnson (Johnson, 1972a), especially on account of the long basal segment to the hind tarsi and the well-developed lateral impressions on the pronotum. However, the carinate frons and aedeagal structure are quite unique in the genus. Cortinicara luzonica sp.n. Length 1.22 - 1.41 mm; head breadth 0.29 - 0.32 mm; pronotal breadth 0.34 - 0.39 mm; elytral breadth 0.57 - 0.64 mm; antennal length 0.39 - 0.43 mm. Colour reddish, legs and antennae yellowish, apical tarsal segments and antennal club feebly infuscated. Head with moderately large eyes, temples minute. Antennal segments rather short; segment 8 quadrate to broader than long, 9 somewhat conical and about as broad as long, 10 about as long as broad, club rather narrow and gradual. Pronotum rather small, slightly broader than head, 1.1 - 1.2 times as broad as long, broadest somewhat around middle, sides moderately rounded; transverse impressions distinct; surface rather shining, alutaceous microsculpture Ye well- marked; puncturation moderate, close; hind angles feebly toothed. Elytra long oval, c. 2.8 times as long as pronotum, c. 1.5 times as long as broad, sides somewhat NEW EXOTIC CORTICARIINAE 15 NG O¢ Ac 1 2 3 NGG A 5 0.1mm Figures 1 - 5, aedeagi of new species of Corticarina, ventral and lateral views: 1, baranowskii; 2, blatchleyi; 3, fukiensis; 4, reidi; 5, carinifrons. Figure 6, Cortinicara luzonica sp.n., aedeagus, ventral view. (Scales: figures 1 -5, top; figure 6, bottom.) moderately curved; surface shining, not reticulate; interstices with oblong punctures in a single row, these punctures almost as long but much narrower than the strial punctures; elytral pubescence short, c. 0.04 mm, feebly curved, nearly flat, barely overlapping. Winged. Male: anterior tibial tooth situated close to the apical fifth or so; aedeagus fig. 6. Holotype male. Philippine Islands — Luzon: Latan Cave, nr. Sagada, 15-19.xii.1979, leg. Deharveng & Orousset (MHNG). Paratypes. Philippine Islands — same data, 2 males (MHNG). 16 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 This is a typical member of the Cortinicara gibbosa (Herbst) group, species of which are best separated by their characteristic male aedeagi (see Johnson,1975, 1977a,1977b). Acknowledgements I am indebted to C. Reid and the late J. Klapperich for material collected in Colombia and China respectively, which is now in the Manchester Museum. Other material was kindly loaned by R.D. Pope, British Museum (Nat.Hist.); R. Baranowski and R. Danielsson, Zoological Museum, University of Lund; C. Besuchet and I. Lobl, Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle, Geneva. References Johnson, C. 1972a. Some members of the genera Corticarina Reitter and Melanoph- thalma Motschulsky (Col., Lathridiidae) from India and Nepal. Entomologist 105: 97-110. —. 1972b. Studies on the genera Corticarina Reitter and Melanophthalma Mot- schulsky (Col., Lathridiidae). Nouv. Rev. Ent. 2: 185-199. —. 1975. Cortinicara, a new genus of Corticariinae (Coleoptera: Lathridiidae). Entomologica scand. 6: 283-285. —. 1977a. Ergebnisse der Bhutan-Expedition 1972 des Naturhistorischen Museums in Basel, Coleoptera: Fam. Lathridiidae Subfam. Corticariinae. Entomologica basil. 2: 329-335. —. 1977b. Beitrage zur kenntnis der Fauna Afghanistans, Merophysiidae and Lath- ridiidae, Coleoptera. Casopis Moray. Muz. 62: 123-132. —. 1979. New species of Corticarina Reitter (Col., Lathridiidae). Entomologist’s mon. Mag. (1978) 114: 55-62. —. 1981. New species of Corticarina Reitter (Col., Lathridiidae), Part 2. Entomo- gist’s mon. Mag. 117: 117-123. Brachypterolus linariae (Stephens) (Col.: Nitidulidae) in Surrey In the past, this species was confused with B. pulicarius (L.), long recognised as a British insect. In a paper establishing the identity of B.linariae (Stephens) and recording its presence also in Britain, my friend’ Mr C. Johnson (1967 Entomologist 100: 142) listed a few locatities for the species but these did not include Surrey. I should like, accordingly, to record that I collected eight specimens of Brachypterolus from flowers of Linaria vulgaris Mill. from a site near Cheam, Surrey on 15.vili.89. As it turned out, all were males; four proved to be B. linariae and 4 were B. pulicarius. The presence of equal numbers of /inariae and pulicarius in this, albeit small, sample, is in marked contrast to what I have found in other districts. There, pulicarius has always greatly outnumbered /inariae. It could be interesting to see, over the next few years, whether the Cheam site maintains this equality in the two species. — J.A. OWEN, 8 Kingsdown Road, Epsom, Surrey KT17 3PU. RHEUMAPTERA HASTATA IN IRELAND 17 SOME COMMENTS ON RHEUMAPTERA HASTATA L. (LEP.: GEOMETRIDAE) IN IRELAND. B.K. WEST 36 Briars Road, Dartford, Kent. BARRETT (1902) has provided a quite comprehensive account of the life history of this moth, describing the larger nominate and the smaller moorland form, now known as nigrescens Cockerell, and noting that the larva feeds upon birch and bog myrtle, but not assigning either to a particular form of the moth, and adding that according to Hofmann the larva also feeds upon sallow and Vaccinium uliginosum, although surely this is a reference to the insect’s habits on the Continent? Nevertheless these two plants appear as normal foodplants of hastata in Britain in South (1939), although in the appendix it states that Vaccinium and Myrica refer only to the northern form, and that hastata, i.e. the larger southern form, feeds only on birch; this view is shared by Ford (1955). However, Newman and Leeds (1913) omit sallow and Vaccinium as larval foodplants as does Skinner (1984), and these authors assign bog myrtle to nigrescens and birch to the nominate form. Of the insect’s presence in Ireland Barrett states that it is local, and that in the west there appears to be greater diversity than in Britain, the majority of specimens being of the southern England form, while South quotes Kane’s view that in Ireland only the southern form occurs, and that subhastata (i.e. nigrescens) has not been noted. Unfortunately, Baynes (1964) produces no more than a vague comment on the moth’s distribution in Ireland, with no mention of the form found there or the larval foodplant! B. Skinner, contrary to Kane’s view, maintains that both subspecies occur in Ireland. In early June 1987 I came across a flourishing colony of hastata in a restricted boggy field containing bog myrtle, but with no birch in the vicinity, near Newport, Co. Mayo; over a score of specimens were seen in a very short time, and all those captured were of the larger nominate form. I have never seen this species as commonly as this in England,even many years ago before its decline. My only previous encounter with the insect in Ireland was the capture of a very large female which was flying over bog myrtle near Rinnamona in the Burren of Co. Clare, 27.v.1975; subsequent searches for the larvae in this locality have proved fruitless, and the area is now being drained. It is curious that despite many visits to Ireland by lepidopterists after the discovery there of Calamia tridens Hufn, almost nothing has appeared in print about hastata, although J.Bradley and E. Pelham-Clinton (1967) refer to the finding of hastata larvae on bog myrtle alongside the Lisdoonvarna-Ennistymon road, curiously this appearing in an account of the moths of the Burren, although at no point does this road traverse the Carboniferous Limestone of the Burren. 18 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 In late August 1987 I obtained many hastata larvae, mainly about full- fed, from bog myrtle near Westport, Newport and Partry, Co. Mayo, and from near Manor Hamilton, Co. Leitrim. They completed their growth on this plant and the resulting moths which emerged in May 1988 were all of the larger southern England form, except one, a slightly smaller specimen that would fit unobtrusively in a series of nigrescens from the southern borders of the Highlands of Scotland. I have seen a similar specimen in the collection of R. Chatelain, a moth reared from a solitary larva found on bog myrtle in western Co. Galway. Skinner gives the size of subspecies hastata as 34 - 38 mm and nigrescens as 30 - 36 mm. My short series of hastata from Surrey and Sussex are uniform in size measuring 35 mm, and my nigrescens from Inverness-shire are similarly of uniform size, measuring 29 - 30 mm; the former are all feral specimens, the latter bred from feral larvae. My Irish hastata vary somewhat in size, most being about 35 mm wing-span, i.e. the same size as my examples from S.E. England, the largest being 38 mm and the smallest 32 mm. The species in the National Collection is contained in two drawers, one drawer for each subspecies; all the Irish specimens are classified as being of the nominate form, and amongst the English ones are several considerably undersized. The series of nigrescens illustrates very clearly that individuals from the Hebrides and the far north-west of Scotland are darker than those from the southern borders of the Highlands, and are differently marked, those from the latter area appearing simply as diminutive examples of subsp. hastata, i.e. they are smaller, but not darker.Thus the odd undersized individuals encountered in southern Britain and Ireland should be recognised for what they are, simply small specimens of nominate hastata. What I have not seen previously mentioned is that in Ireland nominate hastata is associated with bog myrtle; however, in Co. Kerry where the insect occurs, there are localities in which birch and bog myrtle occur in close proximity — in such localities is the moth selective, being associated with only one of these plants, or are both plants utilised indiscriminately? However, I can find no record of hastata larvae feeding on birch in Ireland. The sample of this moth that I possess from Ireland differs in another respect from those from southern Britain. Barrett observes that the latter as a race is tolerably constant, only varying a little in the size of the black markings and the extent to which they are joined together; by contrast he observes that in the west of Ireland specimens show greater local diversity, in markings as well as size. My own observations confirm this, and in particular a large proportion of the moths caught, or bred from larvae, from Co. Mayo have the black markings reduced, being referable to ab. laxata Krul., itself quite a variable form, although none approaches the more extreme f. demolita Prout, nor do any show tendency towards increased black pigmentation. The proportion of f. /Jaxata would appear to be as high as 35% to 40%, and therefore hastata in Co. Mayo might well be RHEUMAPTERA HASTATA IN IRELAND 19 Left: Rheumaptera hastata L., Partry, Co. Mayo, 23.v.1988 (bred). (x1). Right. ab. laxata Krul., Newport, Co. Mayo, 18.v.1988 (bred). (x1). designated dimorphic. A further interesting observation is that all the colonies of larvae I examined in Co. Mayo were remarkably free from parasites, in marked contrast with my experiences with nigrescens in Scotland. I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to Mr D. Wilson for the excellent life-size photographs, and to Mr D. Carter of the British Museum (Natural History) for his advice and permission to study the National Collection and relevant literature. References Barrett, C., 1902. Lepidoptera of the British Islands. Baynes, E., 1964. A Revised Catalogue of Irish Lepidoptera. Bradley, J. and Pelham-Clinton, E., 1967. Entomologist’s Gaz. 18: 142. Ford, E., 1955. Moths. Newman, L.W. and Leeds, H., 1913. Textbook of British Butterflies and Moths. Skinner, B., 1984. Moths of the British Isles. South, R., 1939. Moths of the British Isles. Moths and bats: the diet of Lady Ursula Eak On a cool evening in 1989 at St Erth (West Cornwall) I was running a light for the Cornwall Trust for Nature Conservation whilst the local bat group wandered up and down the river bank with their bat detectors at full blast. Only 43 moth species were found, including three specimens of the migrant Agrotis ipsilon, as well as three beetles including the first Dytiscus marginalis that I have had to light. It is likely that many of the best moths were eaten by bats before they arrived at the light. As the night wore on the bat people disappeared. One of their number, Ginny Little from Penzance, joined us at the edge of the white sheet, bringing with her a tiny lady companion, Lady Ursula Eak. This lady (a noctule bat) had come to feed. Ginny had become interested in moths some years ago (I suspect purely to feed her bats) and now ran a moth trap. She assured me that she only fed the common species to the sick and injured animals in the ‘‘bat hospital’’she runs. An aquaintance in Penzance 20 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 provided her with a steady supply of Noctua pronuba, Agrotis exclamationis, Orthosia gothica and similar abundant noctuids, whilst keeping such goodies as Palpita unionalis to himself. As the moths came in we began to catch them to feed Ursula.The first course consisted of 7 Ochropleura plecta and 2 Noctua pronuba, as well as 1 large Tipulid. She also ate 1 Opisthograptis luteolata, 1 Phragmatobia fuliginosa, 1 Noctua janthina, \ Diarsia rubi, 2 Phlogophora meticulosa, 2 Pterostoma palpina, 1 Furcula furcula, 1 Lymantria monacha and 1 Pheosia tremula. She then refused Agrotis ipsilon and Pleuroptya ruralis, but perhaps she was full after her meal of 20 large moths and one cranefly. I was surprised that she ate Opisthograptis luteolata and Phragmatobia fuliginosa as in a previous experiment both had been refused by a long- eared bat. I have always taken the colour of both moth species to be an indication of unpalatability. Phragmatobia fuliginosa has a noticeable smell which is unpleasant to humans. Not unexpectedly, Lady Ursula also refused Eilema griseola and Abraxas grossulariata, as well as the beetle Aphodius rufipes, which has an obnoxious smell even though at this stage she was not yet full-up. We would have tried Dytiscus marginalis which also came to light, but we felt that this would not be fair to the bat. — ADRIAN SPALDING, Tregarne, Cusgarne, Truro, Cornwall. Xylena exsoleta L., the Sword-grass in v.c. 22 Berkshire I was interested to read the two notes on this species (Ent. Rec. 101: 222). Stephen Nash’s record from Fernham is particularly welcome as being the first in v.c. 22 for forty-five years. Bernard Skinner’s note (Joc. cit.) to the effect that records from southern England for at least the last thirty years all relate to immigrants is also of interest and would seem to accord with what information I have been able to gather in my v.c. 22 index viz: Locally distributed (Holland. Vic. Hist.1906); Well distributed but scarce., Tubney, 28.ix.29, bred from larva on thistle., Henwood, 1895-7, 1901 (Bretherton, 1940 Proc. Ashmol. nat. Hist. Soc. 1939) and finally P.B.M. Allan notes in his Moth Hunter’s Gossip “‘I used to take exsoleta in the Kennet Valley but he was always a rarity’’. These are all the records I have been able to find other than a wartime find from 1944. In the autumn of that year our unit was encamped in Maidenhead Thicket and on the night of 23rd October I wandered off to explore some ivy growing on what is now the M4 link road. Amongst the more usual autumnal things was a moth sitting in a strange ‘“wrapped around’”’ attitude and whose identity at first defeated me. It is still my only exsoleta and until Bernard’s interesting note I had not considered it as being a probable immigrant. — B.R. BAKER, Reading Museum and Art Gallery, Reading RG1 1QL. A THIRD BRITISH TEMNOSTETHUS TIBIALIS 21 A THIRD BRITISH CAPTURE OF TEMNOSTETHUS TIBIALIS REUT. (HEM.: ANTHOCORIDAE) A.A. ALLEN 49 Montcalm Road, Charlton, London SE7 8QG. THIS rare and little-known species, with a very scattered distribution across south-central Europe and eastwards, was added to our list by the late G.E. Woodroffe (1971) on two specimens taken by himself, together with one from Jersey, and identified by the Anthocorid specialist Dr J. Péricart.They were a sub-brachypterous male from Silwood Park, Sunninghill, Berks (vii,64) and a macropterous female from Pamber Forest, N. Hants (vi.70) — both from oak. The Jersey example, another sub-brachypterous male, had been found in company with both T. pusillus H.-S. and T. gracilis Horv. on lichen-covered oak by Dr W.J. LeQuesne (1955). Since, however, the Channel Islands do not form part of the Britannic faunal area, but rather of that of north-west France, there remain but two genuinely British captures previous to that recorded hereunder. Dr P. Kirby has been good enough to check all records and specimens available to him without discovering any further evidence of T. tibialis in this country. It thus appears safe to conclude that this bug is, up to now at least, exceedingly rare with us; especially as it is by no means hard to separate from our other two species of the genus, and so not very likely to be confounded with either. On 9th July 1986,I detected a macropterous female Temnostethus crawling sluggishly on a sap-run on the trunk of an oak in Oxleas Wood SSSI, Shooters Hill, W. Kent (S.E. London). From the characters given by Woodroffe, especially the longer rostrum* (apparent even to the naked eye on comparison), it was easily recognised as T. tibialis — a determination lately put beyond any possible doubt by the use of Péricart’s key and description (1972: 81, 89-91). The sap-run and adjacent parts of the trunk were under frequent observation during that and the following summers (the tree being productive of interesting Diptera), but at no time was any other Temnostethus found there. The bug might have been living higher on the tree and its presence at the sap was doubtless only casual. T. pusillus occurs in these woods very rarely (twice to date) by sweeping oak foliage or the grass etc. beneath; it might be found more freely by systematic beating and trunk-searching. 7. gracilis, regarded as more common, has eluded me hitherto. It might seem from the literature that the absence of lichens could be a factor contributing to the rarity of the genus in this district, but Dr Kirby’s considerable experience of gracilis and pusillus elsewhere hardly *Anthocorids are best set with the rostrum porrect, to facilitate comparison of its length. 22 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 bears out that idea. The Jersey occurrence, in particular, suggests that 7. tibialis does not differ ecologically in any obvious way from the other two species with which it occurred there. In that connection,it is worth noticing that apparently neither of them accompanied fibialis at Sunninghill or Pamber; and also that in the former of these areas Heteroptera had been intensively collected for 15 years without yielding a Temnostethus (Wood- roffe, 1964). In addition to England and Jersey, 7. tibialis is recorded by Péricart (p.91) only from southern Czechoslovakia (one ex.), Rumania (Bucarest, two on a pear tree), Turkey (Istanbul, one) and Crete (the type). Its apparent extreme rarity is problematic. Woodroffe (1971) provides a key to the three species. I give here an alternative version which may be found of service, incorporating as it does one or two further characters, but making use only of such as are most readily appreciable (partly after Péricart). 1/2 Antennae entirely dark; rostrum and head as gracilis; hemelytra distinctly haired, as tibialis, but hairs paler. In Britain always TINA CTO PV UEHO US -ae hose aan ees oan ae oats Sota. UO pusillus H.-S. 2/1 Antennae with segment 2 in part or mostly pale, or, at darkest, reddish in middle. 3/4 Rostrum moderate, reaching mid coxae; head shorter in front, not or scarcely reaching beyond end of first antennal segment; hemelytra, viewed sideways, almost glabrous or with any hairs extremely small and scattered; in brachypters covering less than half of abdomen, membrane at most a narrow strip. Usually DrachWpterOUStercos ccwcos tec Coho mat ee cee nea ee eee ce aero eee gracilis Horv. 4/3 Rostrum long, reaching hind coxae; head longer infront, reaching distinctly beyond end of first antennal segment; hemelytra, viewed sideways, with very evident short raised dark hairs; in sub-brachypters covering abdomen or very nearly so, with membrane triangular or oval. Usual condition: male sub- brachy pterouss cemlalehmacnOprenOuSmseeee-eeeeee eee eae eee ee tibialis Reut. The male paramere shows undoubted differences in the three species, but also considerable variation (LeQuesne, 1955: 260-1 and figures). Moreover, Woodroffe’s descriptions and Péricart’s figures are in some cases a little hard to reconcile, so I have thought it best to omit this feature from the key. Acknowledgement I am deeply grateful to Dr Peter Kirby, of the Invertebrate Site Register, for his ready and most helpful response to my enquiry as to the present British status of 7. tibialis, and for kindly supplying a photocopy of the relevant portion of Dr Péricart’s monograph. References LeQuesne, W.J., 1955. An examination of the genus Temnostethus Fieb. (Hem., Anthocoridae) in Britain and an addition to the British list. Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 91: 259-262. A THIRD BRITISH TEMNOSTETHUS TIBIALIS 3; Péricart, J., 1972. Faune de l’Europe et du Bassin Méditerranéen, 7: Hémiptéres Anthocoridae, Cimicidae, Microphysidae de |’Ouest Paléarctique. Masson et Cie, Paris. Woodroffe, G.E., 1964, An anomalous example of Temnostethus (Hem., Antho- coridae) from Sunninghill, Berkshire. Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 100: 160. —, 1971. Temnostethus tibialis Reuter (Hem., Anthocoridae) in Britain. /bid., 107: 170-1. Death-feigning in Exochomus quadripustulatus L. (Col.: Coccinellidae) Recently after cutting a spray of firethorn in full fruit and taking it indoors, I noticed what at first glance looked like a small round fragment of debris fallen from it. Closer inspection, however, showed it to be a seemingly dead example of the above fairly common ladybird, lying on its back on the table. Thinking this strange, since it appeared quite uninjured, I placed it in the palm of my hand for examination with a lens. It continued in this deathlike state (as I suspected it to be) for about a minute and a half, after which it quickly “‘came to life’’ and, taken out into the sun, flew away. I report this possibly trivial incident because, as far as I know, death- feigning (thanatosis, letisimulation) seems little known and seldom observed in Coccinellidae. At all events,I cannot remember having seen it before, though I have come across a good many ladybirds in my time; with warning coloration as most of them have, such a reflex would, I suppose, be superfluous. It may be limited to some of the darker or obscurely- coloured species, or occur in exceptional conditions only, such as falling from a height onto a hard surface. As expected, I was unable to induce it in the common Adalia bipunctata L. for more than a second or so. — A.A. ALLEN, 49 Montcalm Road, Charlton, London SE7 8QG. Claviger testaceus Preys. (Col.: Pselaphidae) in pitfall traps near Folkestone, Kent As part of a terrestrial monitoring programme, contracted by Transmanche-Link, groups of pitfall traps were installed on that part of the Folkestone-Etchinghill escarpment SSSI between Sugarloaf Hill, in the east, and Peene Hill, to the west. At each of eight sites four glass jars, with a mouth diameter of 48 mm, were arranged at the corners of a one metre square at locations on the upper and lower sections of the chalk escarpment. These pitfall traps were placed in position on 23rd May and removed, four weeks later, on 20th June 1989. One of these sampling sites is situated just west of Cheriton Water Works on the steep upper slope of the escarpment at Cherry Garden Hill (TR207380). Among the Coleoptera collected were six Claviger testaceus Preys. This distinctive myrmecophilous pselaphid is typically found in the nests of Lasius flavus {F.), which Donisthorpe (1927, The Guests of British Ants, pp.13-14) regarded as its primary host. However, he also lists Lasius 24 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 alienus (Foerst.) and Myrmica scabrinodis Ny\. as infrequent alternative hosts. All three of these ant species were caught at this site. Their respective mean numbers per trap were 8, | and 38. During 1988 pitfall traps had been installed at the same locations between 25th May and 22nd June. Indeed, many of the 1989 traps were replaced in the holes left in the turf from the previous year. The same three species of ant were collected from this site in1988, at mean numbers/trap of 3.5, 1.25 and 68.9 respectively, but no Claviger testaceus were caught. I am unaware of any records of C. testaceus having previously been collected in pitfall traps. It is thought unlikely that these slow-moving pselaphids crawled from a Lasius flavus nest and fell into the pitfall traps. It would appear much more likey that they were being transported by their hosts from one nest to another. Certainly there were more than sufficient ants in each jar containing C. festaceus to satisfy this theory. The questions remain, why should this behaviour have occurred during 1989 but not at the same site in 1988?; and why has it not been observed at the numerous other chalk grassland sites where extensive pitfall programmes have been carried out? Was the hot dry summer of 1989 responsible for initiating some unusual behaviour on the part of the beetle and/or its ant host? Alternatively, had the L. flavus colonies increased, as a result of favourable climatic factors, necessitating emigration to found new colonies? — R. COLIN WELCH, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambs PE17 2LS. Mordellistena nanuloides Ermisch (Col.: Mordellidae) from the Isle of Grain, Kent On 16.viii.88, I tapped a female M. nanuloides from a plant of Artemisia maritima L. growing not far above high water mark at a site just to the south of the town of Grain, Isle of Grain. No further specimens could be found in spite of careful examination of stands of the plant growing in the area. On 21.vi.89, I was taken by my friend Mr N. Heal to the sea-wall at Hoo Marsh, Isle of Grain and there we found a number of specimens of nanuloides by tapping plants of the same species over our nets. They were accompanied by many examples of Longitarsis absynthii Kutschera, a species which Mr Heal had noted at the spot on a visit a few days previously. This species was formerly confused with M. parvula (Gyllenhal) (see Allen, A.A. 1986 Ent. Record 98: 47; Batten, R. 1986 Ent. Gazette 37: 225). As far as I am aware, it has published records only from the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. The site at Grain is only two km (across the Medway estuary) from the nearest part of the Isle of Sheppey but whether the species has reached the Isle of Grain from the Isle of Sheppey recently or has long been present there is something that is unlikely to be clarified. — J.A. OWEN, 8 Kingsdown Road, Epsom, Surrey KT17 3PU. WATSONIAN VICE-COUNTIES 25 THE WATSONIAN VICE-COUNTY SYSTEM M.G. MorrIs Orchard House, 7 Clarence Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 2HF. MR. UHTHOFF-KAUFMANN makes some interesting points in his recent paper on the merits of the Watsonian vice-county system (Uhthoff- Kaufmann 1989) and the modifications made to it by Balfour-Browne (1931). However, as the adversarial title of his paper suggests, several of the suggestions made are debatable, even contentious, while there are also some additional matters relating to the use of the two systems which need to be considered. Recent use of the vice-county system has tended to favour the “‘original’’ Watson-Praeger system rather than Balfour-Browne’s modifications. The former is used by Heath & Emmet (1976, 1985, as maps with vice-county numbers), and in some of both the Royal Entomological Society’s Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects (e.g. Peacock 1977, Mound ef. al. 1976, both as lists of vice-county numbers) and the Scientific Publications of the Freshwater Biological Association (e.g. Hynes 1958,Macan 1961, both as maps without numbers). The alphabetical symbols advocated by Balfour-Browne (1931) and Uhthoff-Kaufmann (1989) were not used in any of these publications. Balfour-Browne’s modified system seems to have been used mainly by himself and certain of his contemporaries (e.g. C.E. Tottenham). However, even Balfour-Browne himself was not wholly consistent in his choice of systems. In volume 1 of his British Water Beetles he reproduced not only his ‘‘typomap’’ and alphabetical symbols (including the ‘“‘additional’’ vice-counties of Scilly, Lundy and London) but also a strictly ‘‘Watsonian’’ vice-county map which does not include these extra vice- counties. It is worth noting that the Subcommittee on Maps and Censuses set up by the Systematics Association in 1947, and which standardised the Watsonian vice-counties, redefining boundaries, etc, where necessary, included two eminent entomologists among its members, C.R.P. Diver (admittedly better known as a conchologist and ecologist) and O.W. Richards (Dandy 1969). Mr Uhthoff-Kaufmann favours Balfour-Browne’s double alphabetical symbols over the Watsonian numerals in designating the vice-counties. The supposed advantages of the alphabetical symbols may suit many workers, but the numerals certainly have their advocates, including myself. The most important point is surely that the Watsonian numerals are in current use by many British biologists whatever their specialism (Dandy 1969). Watson admittedly wrote mainly for botanists, but his system has been taken up since by zoologists in many different fields. Most of these have never met with Balfour-Browne’s system. Would Mr Uhthoff-Kaufmann have 26 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 1 Saet990 entomologists use their own system which is familiar neither to botanists nor to other zoologists? An additional, if minor, convenience of the Watsonian numerals is that they are (necessarily) sequential, as the Balfour-Browne alphabetic symbols are not. Thus, even if v-c 9 is not immediately recognisable as Dorset, it is evident that it is a southern vice- county, probably a coastal one. The sequence 9-10-11 clearly indicates a southern distribution, while, if the alphabetical symbols are unfamiliar, or have been forgotten, the sequence DT-IW-SH conveys very little. I suspect some entomologists may prefer the alphabetical symbols, but for me their restriction to use in one field only, rather than by biologists or naturalists as a whole, is a fatal flaw. Changes to the designated alphabetical symbols, as suggested by Mr Uhthoff-Kaufmann, hardly help the cause of uniformity. A further advantage of the numerical symbols is that they avoid any contentious political issues, such as the continuing use of the abbreviations for King’s County (Offaly) and Queen’s County (Leix) which date from the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland and before establishment of the Republic. LD for Londonderry (H40, Derry) could offend Republicans, just as amendment to, say, DY might do the same for Loyalists; H40 or 152 is neutral. It is true, as Mr Uhthoff-Kaufmann writes, that the prefixing of the Irish vice-counties by the letter H is anomalous. A minor modification of the Watsonian system is simply to use the numerals 113-152 for the Irish vice- counties South Kerry to Derry (H1 - H40). However, the prefixed numerals are used in many of the standard works and maps. There is certainly no advantage in having WC(I) and WC(E) to distinguish West Cork from West Cornwall. The letters merely add to the English designation. At least with numerals the H prefix is a consistent one. Balfour-Browne’s paper (1931) is entitled, with heavy, if unconscious, irony ‘‘A plea for uniformity in the method of recording insect captures”’ (my italics). As an example of ‘‘uniformity’’, Balfour-Browne gratuitously invented three new vice-counties for interpolation into the Watsonian system. Scilly and Lundy are merely irritants. There is no reason, apart from entomological popularity, for their elevation to the status of separate vice-counties. Both areas are very small and certainly much smaller than the average for other vice-counties. Indeed, Lundy is too small to feature on any of the vice-county maps in Balfour-Browne (1940). If Scilly and Lundy are to be included as vice-counties, why not St. Kilda, North Rona, Fair Isle, the Monachs, Skomer, the Isle of May, the Aran Islands and a host of other more or less isolated islands or island groups in the British Isles? If uniformity is the aim, why change a well-established system? Scilly and Lundy have no place in the Watsonian vice-county system and should be included, respectively, in West Cornwall (v-c 1) and North Devon (v-c 4), as they are in Watson (1852) and Dandy (1969). WATSONIAN VICE-COUNTIES 27 Balfour-Browne’s addition of Scilly and Lundy to the Watsonian system is bad enough, but his other innovation, ‘‘London’’, is far worse. First, it cuts into, and takes territory from, several existing vice-counties, as is clearly evident from the maps in Dandy (1969), and, at a larger scale, in de Worms (1954) (incidentally, an entomologist!). Use of the London ‘“‘vice- county’’ has the potential for endless confusion as to whether a record comes from any one of up to eight divisions. Secondly, the alphabetical symbol for London is in a completely different typeface (Gothic) from any other, necessitating either tedious adjustments to typewriter or word- processor to reproduce one symbol or use of a manuscript character in typed texts. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, the extra vice-county is inadequately defined as ‘‘the county of London’’, which is no longer in existence as an administrative area. Where are its boundaries clearly, unambiguously and conveniently defined? An area which is almost completely urbanised may be of limited value in a biogeographical sense, though this criticism also applies, with less force, to Middlesex (v-c 21). Mr Uhthoff-Kaufmann’s comments on Hundred House (in the vice- county of Radnorshire, 43 = RA) is puzzling. A major aim of the Watsonian system was to have a constant number of biogeographical divisions (vice-counties) with unchanging boundaries, in order to provide a stable alternative to the use of administrative areas, then mostly counties, the boundaries of which have been changed so often. In Watson’s day, too, the problems posed by ‘‘enclaves’’ in the administrative counties were considerable (Dandy 1969). Fundamental changes to local government areas in Wales (and Scotland) were brought about in 1974, the last major reorganisation in the United Kingdom; important, though less radical, alterations were also made in England. These changes indicate that Watson’s concern was well-founded. One deals with a locality such as Hundred House by identifying it Gf necessary) on a large-scale map (e.g. the OS 1:50 000 series) and relating its position to the standard 1:625 000 vice-county maps produced by the Ray Society (Dandy 1969). In cases of extreme difficulty, the authoritative half- inch to one mile manuscript maps which define the vice-county boundaries may be consulted (Dandy 1969). Gazetteers such as Anon. (1963) and OS (1987) are, or course, often very helpful in locating sites by geographical descriptions and accurate National Grid References, respectively. Mr Uhthoff-Kaufmann refers to the ‘‘typomap’’ of Balfour-Browne (1931) as ‘‘ingenious’’. That is one description: there are others which are less flattering. Typomaps which summarise the actual recorded distributions of species are fiendishly difficult to produce accurately on a typewriter, as I know to my cost. They may be easier to make using a word- processor. But despite their ingenuity, is there any real need to use typomaps? Many entomologists may think that they are an uneasy and unnecessary compromise between a straightforward map (blank copies of 28 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 which are easily obtainable, for instance from the national Biological Records Centre) and a simple, sequential listing of vice-county records. My own system, using a block of squares 19 x 8 to represent the vice-counties, has several advantages over the typomap, above all simplicity and ease of use (Morris 1973). Vice-county 99 (DN), Dunbarton, is certainly a small area and not always easily found on a map by the inexperienced, but is the distortion inherent in the typomap, and the sheer difficulty of producing one, a fair exchange for a real map or a simple listing? In some ways Balfour-Browne’s scheme is based on a misconception, as well as being obsolete (the two factors are interrelated). Vice-counties, whether using Balfour-Browne’s system or Watson’s, are a clumsy and inaccurate way of ‘‘recording insect captures’’ (to be distinguished from the summarising of mapping of the distributions of species). The best method of recording captures in the British Isles is to use the six-, or if possible eight- figure references of the National and Irish Grids. Of course, names of localities should also be included, both as a check on the grid reference and for easy recognition (few of us can identify or keep numerical references in our heads). Use of grid references to locate places exactly came into general use only after the Second World War, and thus after publication of Balfour-Browne’s paper. I understand from some of those who knew him that he never fully understood or adopted this modern method of referencing records. Eight-, six-, or even four- figure grid references virtually pinpoint localities, and thus spatially record insect captures with accuracy. Such records can then be used to summarise or map distributions using any convenient or instructive units. The most popular are the 10-km squares of the National Grid, but it is not always appropriate to use them. There appears to be some misunderstanding amongst biologists on this score, and my own opinion is that not enough flexibility and critical thought is given to the consideration of appropriate mapping scales. Uniformity is certainly often required for comparison of distributions in diverse groups. However, uncritical mapping of a few records of a species by 10-km squares may be inferior to mapping at a coarser scale in revealing distribution patterns. A variety of mapping units has been used by different workers: vice-counties, counties (usually the pre-1974 version), other scales of the National Grid, such as 50-km squares, ‘“‘tetrads’’ (2 x 2-km squares) and 1-km squares. The last two have most usually been used to map the distribution of popular groups, such as vascular plants or butterflies, at a county level. Flexibility in the use of mapping units is desirable and the uncritical use of the 10-km unit to be deplored.The really important point is that if records are made using accurate six-figure grid references,maps can be produced at any appropriate scale. It so happens that for many insect groups of ‘‘medium popularity’’, the WATSONIAN VICE-COUNTIES 29 vice-counties give an appropriate number of units. One-km or 2 x 2-km Squares may justifiably be used to map distributions of butterflies, particularly over areas smaller than the whole of the British Isles. Ten-km squares are certainly appropriate for other Macrolepidoptera. Heath & Emmet (1976, 1985) sensibly used vice-counties to map the distribution of the less popular Microlepidoptera. For many Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera, vice-counties are also appropriate, though 10-km squares are often preferred. For many of the less popular or “‘obscure’’ groups, a larger unit (50-km squares or Watsonian provinces) may give a better initial picture of a distribution than the ubiquitious 10-km squares. The advantage of the Watsonian vice-counties and provinces over systems based on the National and Irish grids is that there are no small, uneven and difficult fragments of land to be accommodated. The summarising and mapping of distributions of plants and animals in the British Isles (and elsewhere) is a developing process. As time goes by and records accumulate, mapping may appropriately be done at smaller and smaller scales. Morover, interest in smaller areas, particularly counties, has always been high and in some fields, notably butterfly studies, has been growing. Here, local mapping, using one- or 2 x 2-km squares, is popular, but the national atlas is at the 10-km scale (Heath, Pollard & Thomas 1984). In some groups of insects, the stage of mapping at the vice-county scale has been, as it were, by-passed. Yet the mapping of the British flora using 10-km squares (Perring & Walters 1972) was preceded by much activity at the county and vice-county levels, with the production of a ‘“Comital Flora’’ (Druce 1932). Successive mapping at the same scale will, of course, also be required for comparative studies and for the detection of gains and losses. This may be especially important in the future if the expected climatic changes caused by the ““‘greenhouse effect’’ take place. Many British entomologists have abandoned the insular attitudes of their predecessors and are interested in insects in Europe, or even further afield. This is not the place to elaborate upon this except to say that latitude and longitude coordinates will no doubt continue to be in use for recording captures, However, the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid is now widely available, certainly in Europe. Attention should also be drawn to the standard account of European countries in use in Flora Europaea (Tutin et al. (1964)), which entomologists might well follow. I have no hesitation in preferring the Watson/Praeger/Dandy system against Balfour-Browne’s, largely because of its universality and because it was first in the field. However, the important issue to reiterate is the distinction between recording (which should be as accurate as possible, using the National and Irish Grids) and the mapping (or summarising) of distributions (which can be done to any scale), using vice-county, National Grid, or other systems, as appropriate. 30 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 Acknowledgements I have benefitted from discussions on recording and mapping with many biologists over the years. Discussions with successive Heads of the Biological Records Centre (Dr F.H. Perring, the late John Heath, and Mr P.T. Harding) have been particularly fruitful, though they are not responsible for the views expressed here. References Anon. 1963. Survey Gazetteer of the British Isles, 9th edition, Bartholomew & Son, Edinburgh. Balfour-Browne, F. 1931. A plea for uniformity in the method of recording insect captures. Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 67: 183-193. —, 1940. British Water Beetles 1. Ray Society, London. Dandy, J.E. 1969. Watsonian Vice-Counties of Great Britain, Ray Society, London. Druce, G.C. 1932. Comital Flora of the British Isles, T. Buncle & Co., Arbroath. Heath, J. & Emmet, A.M. 1976. The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland 1, Blackwell Scientific Publications and Curwen Press, Oxford and Edinburgh. —, 1985. The Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland 2, Harley Books, Colchester. Heath, J., Pollard, E. & Thomas, J.A. 1984. Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland, Viking, Harmondsworth. Hynes, H.B.N. 1958. A key to the adults and nymphs of British stoneflies (Plecop- tera). Scient. Publs Freshwat. biol. Ass. 17, 87pp. Macan, T.T. 1961. A key to the nymphs of the British species of Ephemeroptera. Scient. Publs Freshwat. biol. Ass. 20, 64pp. Morris, M.G. 1973. A method of keeping records of the vice-county distribution of insects and other organisms. Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 108 (1972): 248-256. Mound, L.A., Morison, G.D., Pitkin, B.R. & Palmer, J.M. 1976. Thysanoptera. Handbk. Ident. Brit. Insects 1(11): 79pp. Ordnance Survey, 1987. The Ordnance Survey Gazetteer of Great Britain 808pp, Ordnance Survey, Southampton, and Macmillan, London. Peacock, E.R. 1977. Coleoptera Rhizophagidae. Handbk. Ident. Brit. Insects 5(Sa): 19pp. Perring, F.H. & Walters, S.M. 1972. Atlas of the British Flora (2nd edition), E.P. Publishing, Wakefield. Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M. & Webb, D.A. 1964. Flora Europaea 1, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Uhthoff-Kaufmann, R.R. 1989. Browne versus Watson: round two. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 101: 61-63. Watson, H.C. 1852. Cybele Britannica 3, Edited by F.E. Edgerton, Ayer Co. Publi- cations, London. Worms, C.G.M. de, 1954. The moths of London and its surroundings (pt.1). London Nat. 1953: 101-146. BZB_P THE VALESINA MORPH IN CORSICA 31 THE VALESINA MORPH OF THE BUTTERFLY ARGYNNIS PAPHIA (L.) IN CORSICA, 1988 C.F.A. BRUNTON, J.D. BAXTER, J.A.S. QUARTSON AND A.L. PANCHEN Department of Biology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, NEI 7RU. Introduction IN SOME populations of the Silver-washed Fritillary butterfly, Argynnis paphia (L.), the females are dimorphic. In Britain and continental Europe most females are of the fulvous colour characteristic of many large fritillary species, although duller than the males. There may, however, be a second female morph, valesina Esper, which has a dull greenish-grey ground colour on the upper surface of the wings, but with the same pattern of dark spots as the normal female. In southern England some populations have the valesina form at a high enough frequency to be regarded as polymorphic, in others it is a rare variation, and in others again it is absent. The genetics of the valesina polymorphism was investigated in breeding experiments by Goldschmidt and Fischer (1922). There is a valesina gene which acts as a sex-controlled dominant. Females homozygous or heterozygous for valesina both show the characteristic coloration, but male valesina specimens are indistinguishable in appearance from normal males. Fischer (1929-30) reports the occurrence of very rare valesina males, but Ford (1975) suggests that these might be intersexes, or alternatively, that their appearance might be due to a gene other than the valesina allele. Goldschmidt and Fischer did a number of experimental crosses using males known to be of normal, heterozygote or valesina genotype, with a similar range of females. When normal males (v v) were crossed with heterozygous valesina females (Vv), the ratio of offspring was as expected: 50% males, 25% normal females, 25% valesina females. A series of reciprocal crosses, however, with Vv males and v_ v females, gave a significant deficiency of valesina females amongst the offspring. There was also a slight deficiency of valesina females in the offspring when both parents were heterozygotes (Vv). Ford (1975) suggests two possible explanations. Sperms carrying the V gene may be at some disadvantage compared to those carrying v (‘‘meiotic drive’’) and/or sperm carrying V may be at a disadvantage in fertilising v eggs, but not V eggs. Thus the low frequency or absence of valesina females in European populations might in part be explained, but the valesina morph must have some compensating advantage to be retained in a stable polymorphism in any population at all. Furthermore, A. paphia has a Palaearctic distribution and towards the far East valesina becomes much commoner. It is reported that in southern China all the females are valesina (Ford 1975). In northern West Germany valesina is relatively common, but it is rarer in the south-west. Magnus (1958) investigated the reaction of males to the a2 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 571990 colour and pattern of females in the south-west and in laboratory stocks derived from these southern populations. He concluded that the colour of the normal female elicited the first phase of male courtship behaviour at a distance, and that the fulvous colour rather than the overall pattern was the critical feature. He was also able to show that ‘‘supernormal releasers’’, larger than life model females or bands of rotating colour, elicited an even stronger response. The valesina colour, on the other hand, did not stimulate the approach of the male, although females of either morph could stimulate the next phase of courtship if the males were near enough to detect the female pheromones. Magnus expressed surprise at the rarity of the valesina form when it was a genetic dominant, suggesting some misunderstanding of evolutionary genetics. Nevertheless valesina females must have some compensating advantage to be retained as a distinct morph in a population at all. The aim of our field work was to detect any behavioural advantage in wild populations. We chose Corsica where valesina is known to occur at relatively high frequency in some populations (Bretherton & de Worms 1963, Panchen & Panchen 1973). Argynnis paphia in Corsica In Corsica the Silver-washed Fritillary occurs as what is usually considered to be a distinct sub-species A. paphia immaculata Bellier, which is also the only form on the neighbouring islands of Sardinia, Elba and Giglio. Apparently transitional forms are found in Sicily and elsewhere near the Mediterranean coast (Higgins & Riley 1983). The sub-specific name refers to the reduction or absence of the characteristic ‘‘silver washings’’ of A. paphia paphia (Bretherton & De Worms 1963) but there is considerable variation in the degree of this reduction (Panchen & Panchen 1973). Bretherton and De Worms estimated the frequency of valesina in populations in the forest of Vizzavona, central Corsica (altitude ca. 1000m) at between five and eight per cent of all females. In 1972 the impression was that valesina females were at a higher frequency in the Restonica valley some 20 km away (500 - 600 m) but an accurate estimate was not possible (Panchen & Panchen 1973). Bretherton and De Worms also noted a difference in behaviour between normal and valesina females in Corsica. Their estimate of the frequency of valesina ‘‘was complicated by the fact that their habits seemed to differ from those of typical females: they fed more warily, settled more on mossy stones, and paid more frequent visits to the branches of beech trees which served both sexes as dormitories at night and in cloudy weather’’. Panchen and Panchen corroborated these observations from specimens in the Gorge de la Restonica: the valesina females often settled on mossy stones, against which they were cryptic, but were not seen feeding, whereas males and normal females, apart from feeding on brambles, were particularly attracted to the low yellow-flowered thistles, Carlina corymbosa, which are attractive to many butterfly species. THE VALESINA MORPH IN CORSICA 33 The observations reported below were made during the summer of 1988, when we visited Corsica as the University of Newcastle upon Tyne Expedition, working principally on the variation and distribution of Coenonympha corinna, the Corsican Heath butterfly (Brunton ef a/. in prep.). Although we saw several A. paphia populations, only one was satisfactory for our purposes, in that valesina was present and the whole group, at least when feeding, were together in a smali defined area. The locality was at about 1 km inland of the village of Olmeta-di-Capocorso, which is itself about 3 km inland from the west coast of Cap Corse, the long northward pointing peninsula at the eastern end of the island. The paphia locality was on the south bank of the small mountain River Pierrago at an altitude of about 400 m. It consisted of an area of about 6 m (along the river) by 3.6 m, bounded at the east and west by riverside trees and at the south by derelict garden land which dropped down to the site about 1.5 m below at a low wall. We were thus able to look down on the site, making observations particularly easy. The whole site area was dominated by a dense growth of the Corsican hemp agrimony, Eupatorium cannabinum L., subsp. corsicum, the plants themselves being about 1.5 m high with pale pinkish purple flowers, on which the butterflies were feeding avidly. Other species visiting the site were Limenitis reducta Staudinger, Pandoriana pandora (Schiff.) and a small, blue lycaenid, but A. p. immaculata were in the overwhelming majority. Observations We first discovered the Olmeta population in the late afternoon of 5th August 1988 and were able to visit it on four subsequent days, the 6th, 9th, 11th and 13th August. On this last day we were able to see the first arrival of the butterflies on the patch while on the previous Saturday, 6th August, we arrived at about 10.00 am to find one or two already there. On two occasions (9th and 11th August) we did not leave the site until sundown, after the butterflies had left to roost in the surrounding trees. We can therefore reconstruct, with reasonable certainty, a whole day’s activity of the butterflies on the feeding site. We also recorded shade temperature throughout. The weather was clear during the whole period of our observations and the mid-day temperature reached a shade temperature of between 26°C and a little above 30°C. Sunrise was approximately 7.00 am but because of the surrounding hills and trees the patch remained in the shade until approximately 9.30 am when the shade temperature was about 20°C. By 10.00 am the whole patch was in full sun and the temperature rising towards its maximum. Maximum temperature was reached soon after 11.00 am and persisted with little change until about 4.00 pm. The sun had left the patch somewhat after 6.00 pm. The first butterfly to arrive at the site, between 9.30 and 10.00 am was a male, to be followed at first only by males. Females arrived as the patch moved into full sunlight. On both occasions when we were there, va/esina 34 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 females were the first to arrive followed by normal females. At 10.15 am we recorded 13 butterflies including four valesina. We never saw more than four together, however, and a rather subjective estimate, with butterflies continually leaving and re-appearing at the site, was that they represented about 30% of all females. Towards mid-day, as the temperature approached 30°C, the females left the patch and flew off into the shade of the trees, presumably to their night-time roosts. It was noticeable that the valesina females seemed to have slightly greater tolerance of the high temperature than normal females and tended to stay on the patch a little longer. The males stayed throughout the day, sitting conspicuously on the tops of the flowers, even in the mid-day heat, and fluttering from flower to flower. The females did not return to the patch until the temperature started to drop at about 4.00 pm. Any courtship activity was thus restricted to 10- 11 am and 4 - 6 pm. Magnus (1958) notes that it has been shown by Vielmetter (1954 and personal communication) that A. paphia is capable of behavioural temperature control with an optimal temperature when active of about 34°C. Presumably males (and perhaps valesina to a lesser degree) either heat up less under the same conditions of sun and ambient temperature, or have a higher optimum. We were able to see a number of episodes of courtship behaviour but no actual mating. Courtship was usually initiated by the male pursuing the female and in some cases the females adopted a ‘‘calling’’ attitude. In the case of the valesina females, however, we saw a number of occasions when the female approached the male, something that normal females never did. One other feature of valesina is of note. They are undoubtedly cryptic against a background of grey-green foliage and the specimens at Olmeta often fed at flowers on shorter plants than did normal females or the very conspicuous males. When not apparently feeding the va/esina females were sometimes seen to settle low in the foliage where they were quite difficult to spot. Discussion The valesina morph of A. paphia appears to be at a disadvantage to the normal female morph, firstly,because when a male carries the va/esina gene there is abnormal genetic segregation of its offspring with a deficiency in female valesina, and, secondly, because of the apparent behavioural disadvantage to the valesina morph in courtship, as reported by Magnus. Previous reports of the behaviour of valesina females in A. paphia paphia (Ford 1975) suggest another behavioural difference. Males and normal females are to be seen in sunny woodland clearings and pathways, while valesina females are restricted to the shade of trees. These observations are to some extent repeated by the previous accounts of behaviour of valesina in A. paphia immaculata on Corsica. Bretherton and De Worms (1963) and Panchen and Panchen (1973) both emphasised the separation by preferred THE VALESINA MORPH IN CORSICA 35 habitat and behaviour of valesina, together with its cryptic coloration. The Olmeta population was, however, a coherent whole, although we were again struck by the cryptic appearance and sometimes behaviour of valesina. There were, however, two new features, the apparently greater temperature tolerance of valesina, compared to normal females, and the active part played by valesina females in initiating courtship. If repeated in other populations,these factors, together with the evident crypsis, might give valesina females the compensating advantage necessary to maintain the valesina gene in a population at a significant frequency. Acknowledgements Three of us (C.F.A.B., J.D.B. and J.A.S.Q.) were the members of the Newcastle University Corsica Expedition. As such we were given a grant and other help by the University Exploration Society. Other financial help was given by the British Ecological Society, the Royal Entomological Society, Barclays Bank and the Vice-Chancellor’s Fund, Newcastle University. The Department of Biology at Newcastle University lent us equipment as well as giving us a grant from the Edmund Burtt Fund. A.L.P. received a grant from the University Small Grants Research Fund. We wish to express our gratitude to all these organisations. The manuscript was typed by Liz Kinghorn. References Bretherton, R.F. & De Worms, C.G. (1976) Butterflies in Corsica 1962. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var., 75, 93-104. Fischer, E., (1929-30) Valesina-Mannschen. Entom.Z., 43: 151, 159, 184, 194. Ford, E.B. (1975) Ecological genetics. (4th Edn.) London: Chapman & Hall. Goldschmidt, R. & Fischer, E. (1922) Argynnis paphia-valesina, ein fall geschlechts- kontrollierter Verebung bei Schmetterlingen. Genetica, 4, 247-278. Higgins, I.G. & Riley, N.D. (1983) A field guide to the butterflies of Britain and Europe. (Sth Edn.) London: Collins. Magnus, D.B.E. (1958) Experimental analysis of some ‘‘overoptimal’’ sign- stimuli in the mating-behaviour of the fritillary butterfly Argynnis paphia L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Proc. 10th Internat. Congr. Entom. 1956. 2: 405-418. Panchen, A.L. & Panchen, M.N. (1973) Notes on the butterflies of Corsica 1972. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 85, 149-153, 198-202. Vielmetter, W. (1954) Die Temperaturregulation des Kaisermantels in der Sonnens- trahlung. Naturwiss. 41, 535-536. Two old records of Lepidoptera in Jersey G.B. Coney was an amateur entomologist resident, at least during his later years, in Dorset, but with connections in Jersey, Channel Islands. He published an important early list of Lepidoptera taken in Jersey in 1903 (Entomologist 37: 127-131). His collection is in the City of Bristol Museum 36 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 152198990 and Art Gallery where, in March this year, I found two moths of note. The first is a fine specimen of Catocala elocata (Esp.) labelled ‘Taken on the wall of a house in St Saviour’s, Jersey, 20.x.1903°’. C. elocata has several features which distinguish it from C. nupta and it is considerably larger. Coney probably misidentified it at first as nupta as his list for 1903 has, for that species, ‘‘August 22nd to October 20th’’, although the words “‘C. elocata’’ appear to be in Coney’s hand. According to Culot in Noctuelles et Géomeétres d’Europe (volume II, page 191, plate 75, 6) its distribution is central and southern Europe and Asia Minor, and this appears to be the only record of its occurring in the British Isles. Also in the Bristol collection is a perfect specimen of Leucodonta bicoloria (D. & S.) the White Prominent, labelled “‘Jersey, June, 1905’’. This, the only record for the Channel Islands, post-dates this species’ last- known occurrence in Britain in 1880, but it was still being recorded in Ireland up to 1938 (Heath and Emmet, Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland, 9, page 57). This moth was noted by N.W. Lear (Ent. Rec. 98: 138) where he reports that it was taken in ‘‘vii.05’’, but my notes show that the label is as given above. His note also illustrates current confusion over the position of the Channel Islands and their fauna. The Channel Islands are not in Great Britain but are, pace Mr Lear, part of the British Isles. The grounds for including species recorded in the islands as part of the British fauna are shaky, as the islands are unquestionably part of the French zoogeographical region. However, this increasing practice is generally welcomed, if only so that a measure of consistent treatment is employed across the animal and vegetable kingdoms. The Channel Islands’ flora has been considered British for a long time and many groups of animals are similarly treated. I acknowledge with thanks the generous help I received from the Bristol Museum, and particularly from Mrs Anne Hollowell of the Natural History Department, in investigating these records. — R. LONG, Société Jersiaise, 9 Pier Road, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. Migrant moths in south Devon Following my success in 1988, I returned to Bigbury for the first week of October 1989. Migrant moths taken comprised two Nomophila noctuella D. & S. (1.10 and 4.10.89), one Heliothis armigera Hb. (3.10.89), one Mythimna unipuncta Haw. I took at least one specimen of unipuncta each night with a maximum of three specimens on 4.10.89. Having taken unipuncta at Bigbury .in October 1988, I suggest that this species most probably survived the mild 88/89 winter in situ at this favoured southern locality. — M.D. BRYAN, Keeper of Natural History, Birmingham Museum. IN QUEST OF ANARTA MELANOPA 37, IN QUEST OF ANARTA MELANOPA THUNB. (LEP.: NOCTUIDAE), THE BROAD-BORDERED WHITE UNDERWING Brig. E.C.L. SIMSON Crosbythwaite, Plowden Park, Aston Rowant, Oxon. I WENT with Tony Pickles to Scotland on a short trip from 28th May to Ist June 1989. We based ourselves in an excellent ‘‘Bed and Breakfast’’ at Carrbridge in Inverness-shire, called ‘‘Ard na Coille’’, the meaning of which escapes me for the moment. ‘‘En passant’’ northwards we searched some posts for Anarta cordigera Thunb. and were lucky enough to find a pair in cop. on 28th May — a species new to us. That night we sugared on Grainish Moor, hoping for Acronicta euphorbiae D. & S. We also ran a light. Quite a few moths of no distinction were seen and this was the only night of our trip when any moths flew; conditions being arctic for the rest of our stay. The next morning we beat juniper near Carrbridge and got many Thera cognata Thunb, and Eupithecia pusillata D. & S. larvae. The wood-ants were so plentiful and so voracious that one’s beating tray resembled the Coliseum in ancient Rome on a good afternoon. We had to fight to save the Christians! After lunch to Loch Morlich, where we swept the bilberry for Semiothisa brunneata Thunb, larvae. We got quite a few, which have since produced fine imagos. In an interval in the operations two interesting events occurred: we met Peter and Margaret Forder, of the BENHS, and spotted some ‘‘twitchers’’ glued to their scopes. They were viewing the Morlich Ospreys. I boldly introduced myself as a ‘‘twitcher anonymous’’ and begged a viewing. Kindness itself,they allowed me to look through two telescopes — each one trained on a different bird. These telescopes were very powerful and far more effective than the Zeis 8 x 30 that I carry. There sat the two great birds, on dead trees, far out on the blasted heath; their deserted nest between them. Now to the second event. The Forders introduced themselves and, on being told that on the morrow we planned to go up the hills to 2300 feet in search of melanopa, asked if they might join us. So we made an R.V. with them for 10.00 hours at Grant’s Garage, Aviemore, from whom I had arranged to hire a jeep. Through the great kindness of the Laird of Kinrara I had permission to motor up to his grouse moor and so was able to obtain the key from his head keeper. At 10.00 hours on 30th May we all duly met in Aviemore in cold and threatening weather. The hills were hidden in cloud and the wind blew keenly down the road through the town. But we had come a long way and so climbed aboard our vehicle and set off upward. The last trees vanished and then the heather ceased as we reached the plateau of rocks, lichen and patches of crowberry, whose pink flowers bravely faced the stormy 38 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 weather. The lonely piping of a pair of Golden Plovers did little to cheer things up. Almost as soon as we arrived at the summit a snow storm engulfed us. Visibility was zero, but I do not think any snow fell — it was passing us horizontally! As soon as it stopped, Tony went off over the plateau, whilst the rest of us huddled in the jeep. Just before another snow flurry arrived he rejoined us with two melanopa! He had got down on his hands and knees and searched the rocks and the crowberry and had spotted the two moths sheltering in the herbage. So heartened were we that, as soon as the clouds lifted, we strode the plateau, nets at the ready. In the few sunny spells that followed each snow flurry, between us we caught another ten melanopa. They did not fly anywhere near as fast as I had noted in a previous year in continuous, hot sunshine. Margaret Forder performed what may well be an unique feat. She carried a net in one hand and a bunch of bearberry, which she had picked the evening before, in the other. As she walked, a melanopa landed on the bunch of flowers. I asked her what she did. She said ‘‘No problem; I just popped the bunch, with the moth, into my net and so caught my first, and probably my last, melanopa’’. To anyone who has hunted melanopa in continuous, hot sunshine, and seen the speed of its flight, this account may seem remarkable. Of further interest regarding the flight of me/anopa; a communication by B.K. West (Ent. Rec. 101: 172) describes the flight pattern in strong wind. But the capture of two melanopa sheltering from the wind by Tony Pickles is another matter, and says much for both his eyesight and his optimism; and, of course, for the plenitude of the moth. Delayed emergence in Chloroclystis v-ata Haworth (V-pug) (Lep.: Geometeridae). In southern Britain Chloroclystis v-ata usually flies between May and August in two broods, though this species has been caught in the Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps from April to September. In northern Britain the species is univoltine, flying in June and July. The larvae are polyphagous on the flowers of a wide variety of plants and overwintering takes place in the pupal stage (Skinner, B. (1984) Colour Identification Guide to the Moths of the British Isles. Viking, Harmondsworth). In late August 1988 six larvae of this species were collected by the author from goldenrod flowers at Aberporth, Dyfed. By the end of September all had pupated. By the end of October the adult wing markings could be seen through the pupal cases of four of the pupae, and the emergence of a partial third brood seemed imminent. However, all six overwintered and hatched during May of the following year. The wing markings of the two pupae which were not fully developed the previous autumn were evident a few days before emergence, as is usually the case. The reasons for the apparently fully-developed adults overwintering NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 39 inside the pupal skin are not known and their ability to do so seems remarkable. I have not heard of this behaviour in any other species and would welcome comments. Thanks are extended to Gwynn Williams of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Aberporth for permission to collect larvae at the site. — ADRIAN M. RILEY, Dept. of Entomology and Nematology, AFRC Institute Arable Crops Research, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2JQ. Notes on Orthoptera from Jersey, Channel Islands Although all these species are well known from the dunes around St Ouen’s Bay, Jersey (Marshall & Haes, 1988 Grasshoppers and allied insects of Great Britain and Ireland), | nevertheless feel it is worth placing on record (somewhat belatedly!) that the late Roderick Dobson sent me a collection of live Orthoptera from this area which he collected on 31st August 1964. The species included were the Grey Bush-cricket Platycleis albopunctata jJerseyana Zeuner, Jersey Grasshopper Euchorthippus pulvinatus elegantulus, Zeuner, Heath Grasshopper Chorthippus vagans (Eversmann), Field Grasshopper C. brunneus (Thunberg) and Blue-winged Grasshopper Oedipoda caerulescens (L.). All were described by Mr Dobson as being numerous on the dunes. I kept them alive in cages at Broadcasting House in Bristol for observation and, with the exception of D. caerulescens, to make tape recordings of their stridulations. — J.F. BURTON, Wasserturmstr. 53, D-6904 Eppelheim, Heidelberg, West Germany. Hazards of butterfly collecting, Tsavo — May 1988 May 1988 saw me in the Tsavo National Park of Kenya as part of my preparations for writing a book on the Butterflies of Kenya. Getting good colour slides of at least a quarter of all the Kenyan species was high on my list of priorities. In savannah areas, butterfly photography is almost impossible except in the early morning or in the afternoon as butterflies begin to bed down. During the day, they are much too lively and even when feeding often spend but a second or two at each nectar source. There in an additional advantage to early morning and late afternoon photography in that many specimens will be sunning themselves with the wings open, and it may be possible to capture the range of beautiful colours in the African orange tips of the genus Co/otis. Towards four o’clock I found an ideal spot, a valley with tall acacia trees and profuse, yet accessible undergrowth with lots of flowers. Butterflies were obviously beginning to assemble for a very dense night roost. Communal roosting among butterflies is not unusual, sometimes simply because a given place is very suited, sometimes because of a genuine mutual attraction, the reasons for which have not been fully puzzled out. There were almost thirty species preparing to bed down for the night. Four or five 40 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 Belenois, a dozen Colotis, a bouquet of pansies (Junonia), Byblia ilithyia, as well as some lycaenids and skippers. Ideal for photography! After having stalked a few butterflies with my camera I looked up to assess the situation. It turned out that I was being assessed myself, and that by a large bull elephant only ten metres away. Very gingerly I tiptoed back to the car. African elephants are much less vicious than their Indian cousins, but still . . . . ten metres is much too close for comfort, not least for someone who has had occasion to see how swiftly and decisively an elephant can move. Observations from the car revealed that I was at the edge of a herd of more than fifty peacefully grazing elephants, just the thing for which Tsavo is famous. For the rest of the afternoon I must have made a weird sight trying to reconcile photography and elephants. I left the car with engine running, sank on my knees, took a photograph, retreated to the car, surveyed the scene for elephants, before starting the cycle again if no elephant was closer that 25 metres. They did not seem to mind much, and by the time when it became too dark for photography both elephants and car made their way towards their respective homes along the same trail. Friends and relatives often assume that butterfly collecting in the tropics is a series of close calls with wild animals. That, of course, is very rarely so. Most wild animals avoid the butterfly collector, who usually makes a racket that can be heard well in advance. ‘‘But aren’t you afraid of tigers?’’, is a common question. Would that I were lucky enough to see one while on foot, but that is hopelessly improbable. Lions you might meet, but except for one or two places where they are known to be dangerous (e.g. the Aberdares Plateau in Kenya), they are quite inoffensive. Only two animals present a real danger, attacking without warning, namely the African buffalo (climb a tree — if you have time) and the Indian elephant (run downhill — if you have the option). I very much hope that I shall never have the need to test either bit of advice in practice. But when all is said and done by far the greatest danger in the tropics lies in the traffic. Getting to any bit of rainforest on any continent is many times more dangerous in real terms than wandering about in the wildest and most remote forest. — T.B. LARSEN, 358 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PL. 1989 — A Year for the Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus L. This butterfly is well-known for having a year or two of comparative abundance followed by a period of scarcity — but 1989 has undoubtedly been a Holly Blue year. My wife saw our first specimen of the year in the garden on 2nd May, followed by two on the next day and several on each of the following days until the 10th. After this time they were less frequent but I did not keep exact notes. By 23rd July, when the summer brood was well out, a female was seen NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 41 egg-laying on our small ivy patch, an interesting garden feature upon which I have managed to place a domestic preservation order. Searching this patch on 29th July revealed larvae of varying sizes as well as many unhatched eggs. When breeding this butterfly from eggs collected on 7th August 1970, a third brood emerged between the 8th and 11th September and I therefore thought it worthwhile to see if another third brood would occur in 1989. This butterfly is highly parasitised by the host specific Listrodromus nycthemerus (Gravenhorst) (ten parasites from fourteen larvae beaten from holly on 21st June, 1970) and in retrospect it would have been wiser to have collected eggs in 1989 rather than larvae. However, I had not anticipated that the rate of parasitisation would be as high as events proved. From ten larvae collected from the garden ivy on 14th August, ten parasites resulted between the 6th and 15th September. That put paid to seeing bred third brood butterflies, but compensation came on 19th September when three blues were seen flying in Lower Caversham, on the following day a female was flying in our own garden and the final specimen seen there on 29th September. These may not be particularly late dates, for others have recorded Holly Blues in October, but the question does arise upon which foodplant would the late eggs be laid and would the larvae have time to complete development before the foodplant became unavailable? In other years I have seen Holly Blues of the spring brood egg laying in the garden on a cultivated Cornus and on a species of Cotoneaster, but by late September the Cornus has only withered leaves available and the Cotoneaster is covered with rather tough berries. Ivy may be the answer, but this flowered very early in 1989 and by now the berries are well developed and fairly hard. It will be interesting to see how the butterfly fares in 1990. — B.R. BAKER, Reading Museum and Art Gallery, Reading RG1 1QL. Pyracantha as a possible foodplant of Holly Blue butterflies Celastrina argiolus (Linnaeus) (Lep.: Lycaenidae) in the London Area. Lepidopterists resident in the south-east of England can not have failed to notice that 1989 was an exceptionally good year for Holly Blue butterflies Celastrina argiolus (Linnaeus) and I have heard that this situation was repeated elsewhere in the country. In the London area (defined by the London Natural History Society as being a circle of radius twenty miles based upon St Paul’s Cathedral), butterflies were in great number, with several of this normally near-solitary species being seen flying together on many occasions. Adults, usually males, were seen in a great many areas from which they were apparently absent during the intensive searching from 1980 to 1986 which culminated in the publication of The Butterflies of the London Area (London Natural History Society, 1987). 42 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 In a normal year in the London Area, adults appear around mid-April (earliest 2nd April in 1983) and typically lay eggs on either holly J/ex aquifolium or snowberry Symphoricarpos sp. I was rather surprised to discover that volume 7 (1) of The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland (Harley Books, 1989) lists only dogwood Swida sanguinea and gorse Ulex europaeus as alternatives to the more usual larval foodplant. In the London Area snowberry is used regularly and enables the butterfly to flourish in areas where holly is absent. This is particularly true in the Central London area. The progeny of this spring brood form the second generation of adults in late July, lasting through until the end of August or, rarely, September (latest recorded was 9th September in 1983). These adults lay eggs on ivy and in a normal year the pupae of this generation will over- winter. In 1989, however, it became apparent that within the generally increased numbers of adult butterflies on the wing, there was a definite pattern of rise and fall, of the type which usually matches the voltinism of the species involved. Thus, there was a peak of adults in April and May 1989, tailing- off into June so that by the middle of June only a very few late emergers were still in evidence. By July the first brood had finished and there was a clear gap between the end of the first brood and the start of the second at the end of July/early August. However, the summer brood, on the wing from late July to at least 23rd September, transpires to cou1ceal not one, but two peaks of population; the first within the first two weeks of August and the second, rather smaller, around the second and third weeks of September. The question that this poses is whether the double peak represents a split emergence of the second brood or whether in fact a third brood is indicated. The evidence against a third brood is fairly strong. There is unlikely to have been adequate time for a second brood adult to produce progeny by the second week of September, whilst pupae from the second brood of adults usually overwinter and so it seems unlikely that they would have emerged in the continuing warm weather. One must, therefore, consider the possible causes of a split emergence. The most obvious choice, for 1989, would be the unusually prolonged hot, dry weather, of the kind we have not seen since 1976. Whilst this may be either partially or totally responsible, I prefer to consider the possibility of another alternative foodplant and, that the development rate on the two differing pabula is likely to vary sufficiently to produce a double peak. The evidence for an alternative foodplant for the progeny of spring generation argiolus all heralds from East London. A telephone caller at the Museum wondered why the Holly Blues in the Ilford, Essex area were taking such great interest in the Pyracantha growing locally. This was rather fortuitous, since I had intended to examine the local Pyracantha for the early generation of Phyllonorycter leucographella which is abundant locally. Armed with this double excuse to leave the paper-work behind I NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 43 first visited Central Park in East Ham. Leucographella was almost instantly located but the greater interest lay in the five Holly Blue butterflies which were all sitting on the Pyracantha bushes having the appearance of being freshly emerged. There was no ivy, holly, snowberry or any other known foodplant nearby. Intrigued, I determined to visit a few other Pyracantha patches in East Ham and to my surprise, of seven patches visited (including Central Park) five had argiolus either flying in very obvious association with them or else had the adult insects, again all apparently freshly emerged and nowhere near recorded foodplants, sitting in the bushes. The visits were all made from 13th to 15th September 1989. Though this evidence is purely circumstantial, it does seem to indicate that Pyracantha may be implicated as a foodplant of the larvae of the first brood argiolus and, given the dates of my visits, that insects bred on Pyracantha are slower to develop and will emerge slightly later than insects bred on the more conventional holly. It would be most interesting indeed to see if my East London findings are repeated elsewhere. — COLIN W. PLANT, Passmore Edwards Museum, Romford Road, Stratford, London E15 4LZ. Late records of summer moths, and an appeal for information A female Lilac Beauty, Apeira syringaria (L.) at Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire, on 21st September 1989, and a male Swallow-tailed, Ourapteryx sambucaria (L.), at Headington, Oxford, on Sth October 1989 are remarkably late records of species that normally appear in June and July. Both specimens came to m.v. light and both are fresh-looking. The warm, dry summer may have produced numerous records of species ‘out of season’’. It is tempting to think of them as being a partial second generation, but the possibility of delayed emergence in response to summer drought must also be entertained. In collaboration with Paul Waring of the Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough, i would like to assemble and analyse all out of season records of macro-moths for 1989. This should enable us to determine which of the above possibilities is likely to be correct. Please send records to me. — DENNIS F. OWEN, 2 Shelford Place, Headington, Oxford OX3 7NW. Is the population of Mythimna pallens (Linnaeus) (Lep.: Noctuidae) sometimes reinforced by immigration? None of the standard text-books suggests that this species is ever a migrant. It was, as in certain years, common from mid-August to mid- September, 1989 in Saffron Walden, nightly numbers in the light-trap ranging from two or three to about 50. However, on the one night 6/7th September the number certainly exceeded 1,000. I have 15 egg-trays in the trap and the count on a typical tray was between 70 and 80 (the moths were too lively to be more precise); added to these were scored on the sides of the 44 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.1.1990 trap, the wall of the house and adjacent vegetation. This is an arable district and other grass-feeding species such as M. impura (Hubner) are relatively uncommon. If recorders in other parts of the country encountered a similar influx of M. pallens on the same night, immigration will have been the most likely cause. — A.M. EMMET, Labrey Cottage, Victoria Gardens, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3AF. Wing function in the brachypterous female of Diurnea fagella (D. & S.) (Lep.: Oecophoridae) The males of both British species of Diurnea i.e. D. fagella (D. & S.) and D. phryganella (Hiibn) are fully alate and fly vigorously especially at night. The females of both species are brachypterous, the foreshortened wings are held over the abdomen and are just about body length. Neither is known to fly and examination of wing surface area to body mass confirms my belief that neither could fly. However, I have observed on four separate occasions, the effects of disturbance on females of D. fagella at rest on trunks of trees. On each occasion the dislodged moth went into a controlled slow drop similar to a parachute drop with one important difference; this being that the slow descent was not vertical, sometimes achieving 75 degrees in dead calm air conditions. Closer observations demonstrated that the wings are outstretched on each occasion. The moth sometimes managed to grab onto a basal buttress projecting from the tree, thereby saving a longer walk back up. It would not however be strictly accurate to describe this as true gliding. — Dr M.W. HARPER, Bullen, Cherry Orchard, Ledbury, Hereford. Maruca testulalis Geyer (Lep.: Pyralidae) in Kent A specimen of this moth was attracted to my garden m.v. light 6.viii. 1989; perhaps this the fourth feral imago to have been noted for the British Isles, and the first for Kent. Bretherton and Chalmers-Hunt (Ent. Rec. 96: 149) observe that the capture of two specimens in 1983, one in Cornwall and the other in Surrey, coincided with an immigration of rare species suggesting that festulalis might occur as as immigrant, and not only as an artificial introduction as was previously supposed. The date of the Dartford specimen coincided with a similar period of immigration; the same light attracted a fine pale grey male Eurois occulta L. on July 27th for example, suggesting that this festulalis was not merely an escape which had developed in some imported plant material, but had arrived by flight from overseas. — B.K. WEST, 36 Briar Road, Dartford, Kent DA5 2HN. A note on the differences between Perizoma affinitata Stephens and Perizoma alchemillata L. (Lep.: Geometridae) In his book (1984), Colour identification guide to moths of the British Isles, Bernard Skinner gives the main difference between P. affinitata and P. NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 45 alchemillata as the former having a single indentation on the inner margin of the white band of the forewing, whereas in P. alchemillata the indentation is double. In 1985, in an attempt to sort out the differences between these two species, I dissected several Cornish specimens. Unexpec- tedly, I found two of the moths which had double indentations to be affinitata. In addition, one moth had one large indentation next to a small indentation; this specimen too was affinitata. | found no aichemillata with a single indentation. The double indentation rule seeks to be a good general (but not infallible) guide. In addition, I find that a/chemillata is usually smaller and has more white on the basal area of the forewing than affinitata. — ADRIAN SPALDING, Tregarne, Cusgarne, Truro, Cornwall. Larvae of the Brown Argus, Avicia agestis D. & S. (Lep.: Lycaenidae) feeding on the seeds of Geranium molle On 14th June 1983 at Perranporth, Cornwall I found ova of Aricia agestis on the upper and under sides of the leaves of smooth cranesbill, Geranium molle. On 5th July 1984 I found two final instar larvae of A. agestis at the same site. They were at the top of the G. molle plants. Although the larvae were inconspicuous in themselves, their presence was given away by black ants in attendance. One of the larvae had five ants on it. The sand dune environment was very dry and the leaves of the plants were dead. The larvae had eaten neat holes in the fruits and were eating out the contents. The holes were similar in appearance to those made by the larvae of Celastrina argiolus in the fruits of holly. — Dr B.P. HENwoop, 4 The Paddocks, Abbotskerswell, Newton Abbot, Devon. Interesting behaviour of Vanessa atalanta L. under drought conditions I was surprised to observe single specimens of the Red Admiral butterfly, Vanessa atalanta, drinking sea water from wet shingle at the edge of the sea, at the north end of Slapton Sands, South Devon, during the period 16th August to 6th September 1989. — H.L. O’ HEFFERNAN, 24 Green Park Way, Chillington, Kingsbridge, Devon TQ7 2HY. Apion ervi Kirby (Col.: Apionidae) feeding on apple The larvae of Apion (Eutrichapion) ervi Kirby are known to develop in the seeds of Lathyrus pratensis L., species of Vicia, and various other members of the Papilionaceae. Hoffman (1958, Fauna de France, Coléopteres, Curculionides, 3rd part, pp. 1651-2) lists six species of Vicia, with Lotus corniculatus L., Pisum sativum L., and Coronilla varia L. as additional host plants. On 3rd September 1989 several specimens of Apion ervi attracted my attention when I was picking apples from a small ‘‘James Grieves’’ tree in my garden at Hemington, near Oundle, Northants (TL061853). Upon 46 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15-1. 1990) closer examination these weevils were seen to be coming from cavities in the fruits hollowed out by wasps. One such well-eaten apple contained eleven Apion ervi, all of which appeared to be feeding on the moist internal tissues of the fruit. I have never previously observed such behaviour in this, or any other, species of Apion and wonder whether it had resulted from the premature desiccation of its host plant following the hot summer on 1989. — R. COLIN WELCH, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambs PE17 2LS. Eucosmomorpha albersana (Hiibner), (Lep.: Tortricidae) in v.c.60 (West Lancaster) I took a male specimen of EF. albersana at Gait Barrows N.N.R. on 27th May 1987. The species is distinct as an imago but to confirm the identification a genitalia mount was made (Gen No. 6/89 in my collection). Mr E.F. Hancock of Ulverston who is currently preparing the forthcoming volume on the Tortricidae for MBGBI (Vol. 5) and is compiling the records of the group, tells me that my specimen constitutes a new record for v.c.60. The species is scarce and sporadic in northern England with records, mainly of single specimens, from v.c.68, v.c.62 and Wa O3e I am grateful to Mr Hancock for information on distribution and to the Nature Conservation Council for granting me permission to visit and collect voucher specimens on the Reserve. — Dr NEVILLE L. BIRKETT, Beardwood, Carter Road, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria LL11 7AG. Atheta puncticollis Benick (Col.: Staphylinidae): a postscript When writing my recent note on this species (antea: 104) I had regrettably forgotten a paper by P.M. Hammond and M.E. Bacchus (1971, Ent. mon.Mag. 107: 153-7) relevant to the matter in hand. On p.156 they record the capture of A. puncticollis in some numbers in Inverness-shire by C.Johnson, and also its discovery in England at Sandscale Haws, N. Lancs, by M.E. Bacchus, again in some numbers, in cow dung. — A.A. ALLEN, 49 Montcalm Road, Charlton, London SE7 8QG. A supplement to the Hymenopterist’s handbook (second edition-1986) by Dr Clive Betts. 24 pp. Paper. Amateur Entomologist’s Society. (1988). flea. The first edition of the Hymenopterist’s handbook, published in 1945 contained a comprehensive table of the flight times of Hymenoptera. This table appeared in the revised edition, but was inadequately updated. This omission is rectified with this supplement, essentially a taxonomic list of Hymenoptera appending, in synoptic form, the flight periods and CURRENT LITERATURE 47 ecological data such as nest site, biology (e.g. if a cleptoparasite, social parasite, or nature of prey) and other data. A very informative supplement, which also contains an errata and addendum for the 1986 edition. Insect-fungus interactions edited by N. Wilding, N.M. Collins, P.M. Hammond and J.F. Webber. 344 pp. Numerous illustrations and figs. Academic Press, 1988. £33.00. This publication is derived from the 14th Symposium of the Royal Entomological Society of London in collaboration with the British Mycological Society held in September 1987. The symposium volume attempts to review the current state of knowledge in four principal areas: mycophagy, mutualism, insect spread of plant fungal disease and insect mycopathology. Ten major papers are presented, but a significant feature of the book is an appendix giving a complete statement of known mycophagous interactions. This appendix is presented as annotated outline classifications of fungi and hexapod arthropods. In these classifications, insects and fungi are allocated code numbers which are used throughout the book as a guide for readers unfamiliar with particular taxa. Jan Hendy. The natural history of larval mosquito habitats by Marshall Laird. 555 pp many illustrations and figs. Boards. Academic Press, 1988. £65.00. This monographic work is intended for all concerned with the ecology and control of mosquitos, making substantial contribution to the neglected field of microlimnology, and will surely better inform all culicidologists on the generally under-appreciated complexity of most of the aquatic life webs of which immature mosquitoes form a part. The text is divided into four parts, the first dealing with the classification of larval mosquito habitats. After reviewing the history of classification, the author proposes a new standard system for habitat classification. The second part presents nine very detailed case studies of above-ground aquatic habitats, with the third part dealing with subterranean waters. The concluding part presents the discussion and draws conclusions. A detailed bibliography and index complete the book. This is a work of considerable authority drawing on more that four decades of the author’s experience. The author is no respecter of existing systems of habitat classification or mosquito systematics, proposing, with full justification, a revision of the former and declining to follow current practice with the latter. Although a work of considerable interest and value to those concerned with the ecology of mosquito larvae, the detailed treatment of the ecology of such a variety of aquatic habitats is likely to considerably broaden its appeal. Elizabeth Abdulla. WATKINS & DONCASTER, Naturalists and Manofacturers of Entomological Apparatus and Cabinets. Plain Ring Nets, wire or cane, including Stick, ls. 8d., 2s:, 2e, Sd. Folding Nets, 3s. $d., 4s. 6d., Umbrella Nets (self-acting), 7s.6d. Pocket Boxes, 6d., 9d., 1s.,1s.6d. Zino Relaxing axes 9d., i Is., 1s. Gd., 28. Nested Chip Boxes, 84. per four dos. ; ditto (shouldered), four doz., 1s. Entomo- logical Pins, assorted or mixed, ls. per oz. Pocket Lanterne, 2s. 6d. to 10s. 6d. Sueaeine Tin, with brush, 1s. 6d., 2s. Store Boxes, 2s. 6d., 4s., 5s., 6s. - Setting Boards, flat or oval, 1 in., 6d.; 14 in., 8d.; 2in., 104. ; 23 in., 1e.3 3 in., i 4d.; ane 1s. 6d.; 5in., Is. 8d.; Complete Bet of iomeen Boards, 108, 6d. 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MANN, (Esras: 1868) Wellington Terrace, Clifton, Bristol Contents (continued from back cover) Late records of summer moths, and an appeal for information. D.F. Owen 43, Is the population of Mythimna pallens L. (Lep.: Noctuidae) sometimes reinforced by immigration? A.M. Emmet 43 Wing function in the brachypterous female of Dawes fagella D. & S. (Lep.: Oecophoridae). M.W. Harper. . ee? 44 Maruca testulalis Geyer (Lep.: Pyralidae) in Kent. B. K. WES. 44 A note on the differences between Perizoma affinitata Steph. and P. alchemillata L. (Lep.: Geometridae). A. Spalding : 44 Larvae of the Brown Argus Arvicia agestis D. & S. (Lep.: Lene feeding on seeds of Geranium molle. B.P. Henwood . : 45 Interesting behaviour of Vanessa atalanta L. under drought asec ars, EREZO: Heffernan. . 45 Apion ervi Kirby (Col.: Agiantize festhne : on aoe. RC. Welch 45 Eucosmomorpha albersana Hb. (Lep.: Tortricidae) in v.c. 60. (West AE AIC ASHE Ia Wo ITICCUD Va ce le oe te, iat ee ee 46 Atheta puncticollis Benik (Col.: Staphylinidae): a postscript. A.A. Allen 46 Current Literature . Sy Rm Tse nea et oe ite bed wena ie ees 46-47 Obituary: S.N.A. Jacobs 5 TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS ALL MATERIAL FOR THE TEXT of the magazine as well as books for review must be sent to the EDITOR at 4 Steep Close, Orpington, Kent BR66DS. ADVERTISEMENTS, EXCHANGES and WANTS to P.J. JOHNSON, B.a., A.C.A., F.R.E.S., 31 Oakdene Road, Brockham, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7JV. Specimen copies will be supplied on payment of £1.20 Sterling. CHANGES OF ADDRESS to C. PENNEY, F.R.E.S., 109 Waveney Drive, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 5QA. SUBSCRIPTIONS should be sent to the Treasurer, P.J. JOHNSON, B.A., A.C.A., F.R.E.S.,31 Oakdene Road, Brockham, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7JV. REPRINTS: 25 copies, taken straight from the magazine are sent gratis to contributors of articles; these may contain extraneous matter. Additional copies may be had at cost price, and orders for these should be given, at the latest, with the return to the Editor of the corrected proof. Many ILLUSTRATIONS can be inserted in the text at no extra cost. However, full page plates can only be inserted on condition that the AUTHOR DEFRAYS THE COST. Contributors are requested not to send us Notes or Articles which they are sending to other magazines. All reasonable care is taken of MSS, photographs, drawings, maps, etc, but the Editor and his staff cannot hold themselves responsible for any loss or damage. Readers are respectfully advised that the publication of material in this journal does not imply that the views and opinions expressed therein are shared by the Editor and publisher. THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD AND JOURNAL OF VARIATION (Founded by J.W. TUTT on 15th April 1890) Contents On the genus Epirrita, the November moths (Lep: Geometridae), in Bernwood Forest on the Oxon/Bucks border. P. Waring . New exotic species of Corticariinae (Col.: eect) C. Soho nae pete iT Some comments on Rheumaptera hastata L. (Lep.: Geometridae) in eee BK Wests: see 17 A third British capes of Teceserrs aie Rone (ene Auocande AA, Allen 23. wo ee ele 21 The Watsonian vice- een oniet. M. G. Mare - aes Say x 2S The valesina morph of the butterfly Argynnis paphia (L.) in (Crnsiee. 1988. C.F-A. Brunton, J.D. Baxter, J.A-S. Quarison and AcL. Panchen]. 31 In quest of Anarta melanopa Thunb. (Lep.: Noctuidae), the Broad-bordered Yellow Underwime.#-CLL. SUNSON 63. . 2 e S a t r ei) Notes and Observations Introduction to Volume 1 1 Editorial 3 a ar 3 Purple “sirsuenls nicecied to a sire sacl. M. dhe Deen) - : POOR Ac 4 Aplota palpella Haw. (Lep.: Oecophoridae) in Kent. J.M. Orne oe 4 A note on two tortricidae (Lep.) at Charlton, S.E. London. A.A. Allen. 9 Late summer movement of insects in south-east London in 1958. J.F. Burton. . . 10 Brachypterolus linariae (Steph.) (Col.: Nitidulidae) in Surrey. J.A. Owen. . . . 16 Moths and bats: the diet of Lady Ursula Eak. A. Spalding. . . 2 oe nis 19 Xylena exsoleta L., the Sword-grass in v.c.22 Berkshire. B.R. Biren. oe 20 Death-feigning in Eerenee casein hts Ea(Cole eo ALA ACH: ext POW, 2 23 Claviger testaceus SHEE. (Cale. Dseleandee): in pitfall ane near Foleeyaee! ent sReCe Wel BAY se 24 Mordellistena nanuloides Ermish (Col: Mordellidae) eoatel the Isle se Gain. Kent. J.A. Owen . . wok 6. 6) 2 24 Two old records of cenideuiere: in ese. R. Lene oS Ge ee 35 Migrant mothsin Devon. M.D. Bryan . . . 1 ips 36 Delayed emergence in Chloroclystis v-ata Haw. (V- soe) (ORE Geomenies AWM: Riley 25 2->.. J) Gr 38 Notes on Orthoptera foo Jersey. Crane Ses. Ip iP Enya ea 32 Hazards of butterfly collecting, Tsavo — May 1988. 7.B. Larsen. . . . .. . 39 1989 — a year for the Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolusL. B.R. Baker. . . 5 es 40 Pyracantha as a possible foodplant of Holly Blue butterflies Ce/astrina ae L: (Lep.: Lycaenidae) inthe London:anea- "Ca Plant ie) 3 ie: 41 ( Cannas overlap SPECIAL NOTICE. The Editor would be willing to consider the purchase of a limited number of back issues. Printed in England by Cravitz Printing Company Limited, 1 Tower Hill, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4TA. Tel: 0277-224610. ee SS : WD —_ \ ; VOL 102 aS Nos 5—4 wee ' 5 ; *2 ag at ji eee ae \ ~ } » HARVARD UNIVERSITY , EM oe A, ENToMoLosisT’s Recor JOURNAL OF VARIATION. E oar sae Droge : tee. 3, a = EpbITEeD BY Pur 3 yee PPA SOKOLOEFE, Frees. MARCH/APRIL 1990 ~ ISSN 0013-3916 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’ RECORD AND JOURNAL OF VARIATION Editor P.A. SOKOLOFF M.Sc., C.Biol., M.I.Biol., F.R.E.S. 4 Steep Close, Green Street Green, Orpington, Kent BR6 6DS Editorial Panel A.A. Allen B.Sc., A.R.C.S. P.J. Chandler B.Sc., F.R.E.S. N. Birkett M.A., M.B. C.A. Collingwood B.Sc., F.R.E.S. E.S. Bradford A.M. Emmet M.B.E., T.D., F.R.E.S. J.D. Bradley Ph.D., F.R.E.S. C.J. Luckens M.B., Ch.B., D.R.C.O.G. J.M. Chalmers-HuntF.R.E.S. B. Skinner F.R.E.S. Registrar C.C. Penney F.R.E.S. 109 Waveney Drive, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CMI 5QA Hon. Treasurer P.J. Johnson B.A., A.C.A. 31 Oakdene Road, Brockham, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7JV WHERE TO WRITE EDITOR: All material for publication and books for review REGISTRAR: Changes of address and non-arrival of the Journal HON. TREASURER: Subscriptions, advertisements and subscribers’ notices Notes for Contributors It would greatly help the Editor if material submitted for publication were typed and double spaced. Two copies are preferred. Please DO NOT use block capitals and DO NOT underline anything except scientific names. Word-processed text should not use italic, bold or compressed typeface. References quoted within the text can be abbreviated (eg Ent. Rec.), but those collected at the end of a paper should follow the standard World List abbreviations (eg Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var.). When in doubt try to follow the style and format of material in a current issue of the Record. Illustrations must be the original (not a photocopy) without legend which should be typed on a separate copy. Photographs should be glossy, positive prints. Authors of long papers, or submit- ting valuable originals are advised to contact the Editor first. Contributors are requested not to send us notes or articles which they are sending to other magazines. Whilst all reasonable care is taken of manuscripts, illustrations etc, the Editor and his staff can- not hold themselves responsible for any loss or damage. Readers are respectfully advised that the publication of material in this Journal does not imply that the views and opinions expressed therein are shared by the Editor, the Editorial Board or the publisher. PHENOLOGY OF EUPITHICIA TRIPUNCTARIA 49 A REVIEW OF THE PHENOLOGY OF EUPITHECIA TRIPUNCTARIA HERRICH-SCHAFFER, THE WHITE-SPOTTED PUG (LEP.: GEOMETRIDAE) ADRIAN M. RILEY! and GASTON PRIOR?’ ! Department of Entomology and Nematology, AFRC Institute of Arable Crops Research, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, Hertfordshire ALS 2JQ, UK. 2 28 Plane Tree Way, Woodstock, Oxon OX7 IPG, UK. Introduction IN A recent article in this journal West (1989) discussed the evidence for bivoltinism in Eupithecia tripunctaria H.-S. Two distinct emergences were evident from analysis of the catches made at mercury vapour light at Dartford, Kent, in 1983, 1985 and 1988 and these observations were stated to be confirmed by Peet (1965) and Agassiz (1977) in Co. Cork; Bradley & Pelham-Clinton (1967) in Co. Clare; Evans & Evans (1973) in Surrey and Chalmers-Hunt (1981) in Kent. In the intervening years of 1984, 1986 and 1987 an apparent second emergence was represented in the catches, though the usual first emergence was absent. It is also stated that in Kent the second brood appears to be generally stronger than the first and records cited by Emmet (1989) suggest that this is also the case in Essex. West (1989) still doubts the significance of this evidence and suggests that positive proof of bivoltinism in this species would be found in adults which emerged as a second generation from larvae collected in early summer. Against this background of uncertainty concerning the phenology of this “species, the present authors are able to supply evidence of partial bivoltinism in £. tripunctaria in the form of first-hand experience and documented cases of captive second brood emergence and the regular capture of both broods in Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps throughout Great Britain. Before presenting these data it is considered desirable to give a full account of historical opinion on this matter as West (1989) omitted several important references. Review of suspected bivoltinism West (1989) states that much of what is written in the 20th century British literature concerning Lepidoptera can be traced back to Barrett (1907). However, in the case of the Eupitheciini this is not the case. Most of the important studies on the biology of this group in Britain were done between 1859 and 1874 by Rev. H. Harpur-Crewe. Newman (1869) accredited much of his text concerning the early stages of the pugs to Harpur-Crewe and doubtless these observations were repeated by many subsequent authors without due acknowledgement. The larva of E. tripunctaria was first described in Britain by Harpur- Crewe (1861). It was stated that they are found in damp woods during September feeding on angelica (Angelica sylvestris) and hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium). The adult was believed to fly in May and June. 50 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 The first suspicions of bivoltinism were raised by Harpur-Crewe (1862b and c) who records the capture of a single female on 19.viii.1862 in a locality where autumnal larvae were known to occur. He suggested that this individual represents a second emergence which produces the autumnal larvae and that the spring-flying adults lay their eggs on ‘‘. . . some other plant ...’’ (i.e. not angelica or hogweed). However, Newman (1869) follows Harpur-Crewe’s earlier notes (1861 and 1862a) and states that E. tripunctaria is univoltine, flying in May and June. Tutt (1906) states that larvae are found at the end of May and June and from the end of August to October feeding on umbellifer flowers. He lists angelica, hogweed, cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), Peucedanum sp.., cowbane (Cicuta virosa) and Laserpitium sp. Further, he states that three broods can be obtained in captivity if fed on elder (Sambucus nigra). Adults are recorded in May and June with a second brood in August. Prout (1907) also states that E. tripunctaria is bivoltine and refers to Barrett (1907) and Nickerl (1907) who reared larvae on elder and obtained adults in July of the same year. Barrett (1907) also cites D’Orville (1864) who observed a July emergence from captive larvae fed on cow parsley flowers. The standard works of Newman & Leeds (1913) and Meyrick (1928) omitted mention of Tutt’s (1906), Prout’s (1907) and Barrett’s (1907) observations and state that EF. tripunctaria is univoltine. However, South (1939 and subsequent editions) states that unusually early spring emergences can produce a second brood in captivity. He also cites elder and “*.. . other Umbelliferae.. .’’ as foodplants. Allan (1949) added wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) and garden chervil to the list of foodplants but does not comment on voltinism. Prior’s (1978) note was merely a request for information regarding larvae resulting from the first brood as none had been found in the wild in Britain at that time. Simson (1980) states that adults fly in July (i.e. as a second emergence). Although he could not find the first brood larvae they were later stated to feed in July on elder flowers (BENHS, 1981). This was subsequently confirmed by Corley (1984) who found them on elder in June. However, both authors noted that no adults emerged in captivity the same year. All the pupae overwintered and hatched the following May. This led Corley (1984) to believe that some of the spring generation adults laid eggs on yet another plant and that it was these larvae which resulted in the second emergence. He suggested cow parsley as this blooms at the right time of year to support E. tripunctaria larvae. McDunnough (1949) cites flowers and seeds of Viburnum in North America as larval food sources. Although he does not state which species, both British representatives of this genus, guelder rose (V. opulus) and the wayfaring tree (V. /antana), also flower at the appropriate time of year for first generation larvae of EF. tripunctaria (Fitter, Fitter & Blamey, 1974). PHENOLOGY OF EUPITHECIA TRIPUNCTARIA Si As a resumé of the known facts, Skinner (1984) states that adults have been recorded every month between May and September and that larvae feed on elder in July and umbellifers in August and September. He also says that larvae from elder produce adults the following year. However, Corley (1985) found that, of ten larvae collected from elder in late June 1984, three produced second generation adults in late July of the same year. In his short review, Haggett (1989) erroneously states that D’Orville’s (1864) reference to a second generation in captivity remains the only recorded instance (see Corley, 1985). He also states that, in his experience, larvae reared in captivity on cow parsley and elder do not produce a second generation. Further, he suggests that an alternative spring foodplant should be sought (possibly foliage rather than flowers) as searches for larvae on elder flowers in some known E. tripunctaria localities, were unsuccessful. Therefore, our understanding from the literature at this time was that adults emerge in May and June and oviposit on elder and possibly some other plant. The larvae pupate and some of those which had fed on elder emerge in July, August and September, whilst others overwinter and emerge the following May. Those which emerge as a second brood oviposit on various umbellifers and goldenrod (Soligado virgaurea) (BENHS, 1981). The resulting larvae pupate and likewise overwinter and produce adults the following May. Further to these observations the present authors have recorded larvae on hogweed in June and ragwort (Senicio jacobaea) in August. The former is interesting as hogweed is a known autumnal foodplant (Harpur-Crewe, 1861). This suggests that it is possible for both broods of E. tripunctaria to feed on one plant whereas it has previously been supposed that two are necessary. One of the present authors (G.P.) has also successfully reared captive first generation larvae on flowers of bramble (Rubus fruticosus). Catches of adults in Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps In order to clarify the known flight periods of this species, data collected from the Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps for the period 1980 to 1987 (during which time all pugs were identified by Riley) were examined. A total of 457 E. tripunctaria individuals were caught over 162 site years at 71 sites throughout Great Britain. Adult moths were caught each month between May and October inclusive. The second brood alone was recorded during 64 site years; the first brood alone during 41 and both broods during Sit Two separate broods have been recorded at sites throughout England and Wales but in Scotland they have only been caught at Elgin, Morayshire and St Abb’s, Berwickshire. However, assumed second brood individuals have been caught during August at many Scottish sites as far north as Fort Augustus, Inverness. At these sites the first generation was absent from the catches. 52 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 May June July August Sept. October Total Number 35 125 32 233 25 7 Table 1. Total numbers of E. tripunctaria adults caught in R.I.S. light traps at sites throughout Great Britain from 1980 to 1987. Two obvious peaks are evident in June (125 individuals) and August (233), from the figures in Table One. This suggests there are two main periods of emergence during the year and the numbers caught support West’s (1989) view that the second brood is larger than the first. The two broods can be seen more clearly in Table Two which shows the results from some of the individual sites. They represent 13 years’ trapping at four sites and each year at each site shows a definite gap (last column) between the last capture of first brood individuals and the first capture of the second, thus proving the existence of two separate flight periods. This gap is sufficient to allow larvae from the first brood to pupate and produce second generation adults. The figures also show that the second emergence is usually larger than the first. Conclusions West (1989) considered that the required proof of bivoltinism in E. tripunctaria was captive rearing of second generation adults from larvae collected in spring or early summer. The author may have been unaware of the examples already cited (D’Orville, 1864; Nickerl, 1907; Corley, 1985) as these are documented accounts of this occurrence. Further, both the present authors have reared a great many larvae from elder flowers from several localities in southern England and found that a small percentage produce adults in July and August of the same year. As a criterion for proof of bivoltinism these results must be regarded with caution as captive breeding (as breeders of Lepidoptera know) sometimes produces extra broods when they would not naturally occur. However, in our opinion, alongside the cited results of light trapping, they clearly demonstrate partial bivoltinism in this species. A major remaining question is how the second emergence (which is only partial) can be larger than the first (which is complete). There are several possible explanations for this including high overwintering pupal mortality and high survival rate of larvae from the first generation due to favourable climatic conditions. Further detailed study would be required to clarify this point. Acknowledgements Thanks are extended to P. Page and D. Rogers (Nature Conservancy Council) and to N. Greatorex-Davies (Institute of Terrestrial Ecology) for operating the Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps at Yarner Wood and Monks Wood respectively. Their continued support is much appreciated. 38) PHENOLOGY OF EUPITHECIA TRIPUNCTARIA The Ae) (syaam) dpy ~ NMA TOM WO on S Jysnvd daquinu [DIOL (L6L OOTIL ‘JOU PHO ‘S'O‘LLZ ON 21S) SquieD ‘aAJasoy JINIBN [BUCHEN PooM SxUOI| ‘apomssurmg pue (88/ 98LXS ‘JOU PUD °S'O ‘997 ‘ON a1IS) UOAa ‘aAsasay INIEN [EUONBN POO JUTE x ‘(‘dsad LZ] [EI TL PUe SZI ZEITL “JOU PUD *S'O ‘'dsed 66 pur ZZ “SON A1IS) “s11aH ‘uapuedieH] “]] pur | 1JO19s20H ‘) xV9 te IITA" 6 WTA’ €7 TASS ITA" LZ xV6l IMA" T? xT TTA’ 7] X17 xl" MTA’ CZ ainjdpo jSD] fo ajvq BAS lk ASE TAN LT WAS Gh TA"OE HAGE WATE T TIIA'O] TIA'O] NLA’ p | MTA’ | MITA’ ZT MWA’ PT ainjdvo sdf fo ajvq pooig puoses Ne mnwtnN © IAT? TA'CC IA'QC NA'E A'9C IA'y IA‘OT IA" ET IA 9T A'6C IAT? 1A°67 IA°CC ainjdpo JSD] fo a0q AOC IA'9 1A'9 TAL A'9C IA] ACI eT IA'9 A°6C 1A"6 TAY IACI ainjdpo psa fo a1vq poolg ISI L861 9861 v86l £861 C861 1861 S86l L861 9861 L861 9861 S861 v86l ipax dpoMsSsUIMA ] pOOM Joule x II Jo1ossap | orosseH aUuDU ajIS ‘L861 PUB P86] UI9MI0q sulje1odo SOS des 1Y3I] AdAING JOISUT PIISWILYIOY INOJ WOT] SINSOY “7 9[Qe LL LLC 997¢ 66 (Z6 ‘OU ANS 54 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 References Allan, P.B.M. (1949). Larval Foodplants. Watkins & Doncaster, London. Agassiz, D. (1977). Lepidoptera in the south of Ireland. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 99: 73-74. Barrett, C.G. (1907). The Lepidoptera of the British Isles, Vol. 9. Reeve & Co., London. Bradley, J.D. & Pelham-Clinton, E.C. (1967). The Lepidoptera of the Burren, Co. Clare, W. Ireland. Entomologists’ Gaz. 18: 115-153. Chalmers-Hunt, J.M. (1981). The Butterflies and Moths of Kent. Vol. 3. Corley, M.F.V. (1984). One generation or two? Entomologists’ Gaz. 35: 76-77. — , (1985). The secend brood of Eupithecia tripunctaria H.-S. (Lep.: Geometridae). Entomologists’ Gaz. 36: 104. D’Orville, H. (1864). Eupithecia tripunctata. Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 1:73. Emmet, A.M. (1989). Evidence of bivoltinism in E. ¢ripunctaria H.-S. (Lep.: Geom.) in north-west Essex. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 101: 185-186. Evans, L.K. & Evans, K.G.W. (1973). A survey of the macrolepidoptera of Croy- don and N.E. Surrey. Proc. Croydon Nat. Hist. Sci. Soc. 14: 273-408. Fitter R., Fitter, A. & Blamey, M. (1974). The Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins, London. Haggett, G.M. (1989). Double-brooded Eupithecia tripunctaria H.-S. (Lep.: Geom.) Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 101: 184-185. Harpur-Crewe, H. (1861). Description of the larva of Eupithecia tripunctata. Zoologist 19: 7567-7568. — , (1862a). Notes on Eupithecia larvae. Ent. Annual: 38-44. — , (1862b). Is Eupithecia tripunctata double-brooded? Zoologist 20: 8209-8210. — , (1862c). Is Eupithecia tripunctata double-brooded? Weekly Entomologist 1: 19-20. McDunnough, J.H. (1949). Revision of the North American species of the genus Eupithecia. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 93, article 8: 533-728. Meyrick, E. (1928). Revised Handbook of British Lepidoptera. Watkins & Don- caster, London. Newman, E. (1869). The Natural History of British Moths. Tweedie, London. Newman, L.W. & Leeds, H.A. (1913). Text Book of British Butterflies and Moths. Gibbs & Bamforth, St Albans. Nickerl, O. (1907). Spanner des K6nigreisches BOhmen. Beitrag Insect Fauna Bohmens 5: 1-71. Peet, T.D.N. (1965). Lepidoptera in Ireland, 1965. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. U2 2B Prior, G. (1978). A note on three species of ‘‘pug’’ supposedly double-brooded. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 90: 251-252. Prout, L.B. (1907). Notes on the genus Eupithecia. Entomologist 40: 220-222. Simson, E.C.L. (1980). British Pugs. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 92: 261-266. Skinner, B. (1984). Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles. Viking, Harmondsworth. South, R. (1939). The Moths of the British Isles, Series Two. Warne, London. Tutt, J.W. (1906). Practical hints relating to the Eupitheciids. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 18: 201-204. West, B.K. (1989). The evidence for bivoltinism in Eupithecia tripunctaria H.-S. (Lep.: Geometridae) in S.E. England. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 101: 57-59. THE BRITISH ASEMINAE 55 THE OCCURRENCE OF THE SUB-FAMILY ASEMINAE (COL.: CERAMBYCIDAE) IN THE BRITISH ISLES RAYMOND R. UHTHOFF-KAUFMANN 13 Old Road, Old Harlow, Essex. INTRODUCTION IT IS little short of amazing, as Allen (1981) has reminded collectors, that the presence of our two species of Arhopalus and that of Tetropium gabrieli should have escaped the attention of British Coleopterists until the early 1900s; this is particularly bizarre considering that those three species attack and are found in the same host trees as Asemum in so many parts of Britain. Whatever the reasons for these failures in detection, they were rectified within a few years by the publication of valuable papers on the group — Dr Sharp on Criocephalus (Arhopalus), Smith on the latter and Asemum striatum in 1905-06, and an exhaustive, definitive account of the life- history of Tetropium by Crawshay two years later. Counties and vice-counties are represented by Brownean alphabetical symbols (Kaufmann, 1989): italicised ones denote a common distribution; bracketed letters indicate doubtful or unconfirmed records; the asterisk (*) stands for specimens imported from elsewhere. Arhopalus rusticus L. Found in coniferous forest land, this beetle is far from being exclusively Scottish, as was formerly the opinion: that was predicted over 40 years ago by Kaufmann (1948); if anything, there is a paucity of new county records from Scotland. The species has since spread beyond the Border and is becoming more common, especially in the south, south-east, the east and the Home Counties, than A. ¢ristis, for which it has been mistaken on occasion (Mendel, 1978). ENGLAND: BK CH DT EK EN ES EX HT MM ND NE (SC: the only Longicorn recorded from the Islands and certainly adventive) SH SL SR (WC*) WS. WALES: There is an unclassified record of an imported specimen from a coal mine (Sharp, 1905-06; Fowler & Donisthorpe, 1913; Kaufmann, 1946a and 1948; Horton, 1980). SCOTLAND: EI EL PM. The larva, which is both aggressive and destructive, is found in standing and fallen trees and the stumps of Aleppo, Corsican and Maritime pines, larch, Norway spruce, Scots pine and firs. It attacks the larvae of Asemum striatum if encountered in the same tree; it is also recorded from boles already occupied by Leptura rubra L. (Klausnitzer & Sander, 1981). Larval parasites include the following Hymenoptera: — 56 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 Chasmias motatorius F., Coelobracon neesi Marsh, Odontomeus appendiculatus Grav., O. pinetorum Thoms., Poemia notata Holmgr., Pyracmon xoridiformis Hgr., Radinopimpla atra Grav. and Xorides fuliginator Thunb. The life cycle may be anything up to two years, eclosion usually occurring from May onwards. Thereafter the beetle is about until September, well-nourished examples reaching,a sizeable 30mm in length. Of our two species of Arhopalus, rusticus is the more injurious, causing material damage to wood used for commercial and industrial purposes — pit props, planking, scaffolding, structural timber and the like. There is an illuminating account (Houlbert, 1912) of the beetle’s formidably strong mandibles. On this occasion having bored through the woodwork, it gnawed through a protective layer of thin zinc plating (presumably what is known here as galvanized iron sheeting); this was noticed, so the holes in the metal were plugged with solder. Far from deterring the beetle, it also demolished the plugs! A series of photographs, taken at intervals and corroborating this incident, accompanies Houlbert’s observations. Such determined behaviour is paralleled by the efforts made to escape into the open of Hylotrupes bajulus L., known to have bitten its way through a 1/6th inch lead pipe, admittedly a softer metal (Kaufmann, 1947, who quotes earlier authorities for this story). Although rusticus is nocturnal, normally hiding under the bark during the day, it is attracted to light; in hot weather it will emerge, becoming very active, rapid in its movements and taking easily to flight. According to Demelt (1966) copulation does not take place before dusk; under controlled conditions it has been seen to happen readily during daylight hours. The first authentic native specimen was captured by Col. Yerbury near a pine stump in a remote part of the Highlands some ninety years ago (Sharp, 1905-06). In one of the earliest British catalogues to be published (Stephens, 1829), the name, Callidium rusticum (= Arhopalus rusticus), had already appeared. Ten years later, Stephens expressed in his Manual the view that rusticus was not truly indigenous. The species was eventually listed as British by Hudson Beare (1930). There is, incidentally, an old specimen of rusticus, perhaps of British provenance, collected by Revd F.W. Hope, in the Dale Collection at Oxford. Its relation, A. tristis under the specific name of polonicus Mots., had at last been catalogued as an indigene 26 years earlier (Beare & Donisthorpe, 1904). A. tristis F. A beetle occurring mainly in pine plantations and woods, more particularly those found in southern counties. There are also records from the West Country and the Midlands, but no farther north than Lancashire. Recent indications are that the beetle is now becoming scarcer, more localised, and less commonly encountered than rusticus. THE BRITISH ASEMINAE 37 ENGLAND: BK CH DT EN* ES* EX HF HT GW MX NH NM OX (SC — an erroneous determination and record) SD SHSL SRSY* WK WX. WALES: GM. IRELAND: WI*. Discovered by Smith (1905) in the New Forest in 1902, the first account of the species by Willowby Ellis appeared in this periodical a year later. The principal host trees are larch, Norway spruce, Maritime and Scots pine; it is associated, too, with Sour Cherry (Capt. Xambeu in Duffy (1953). Exposed roots and boles are preferred, but dying trees and plantations damaged by forest fires are also attacked. The larval stage may extend to as long as four years, depending very much upon the condition and quality of the pabulum, which in turn has a considerable bearing upon the size of the insect; this may vary from 8 to 30 mm, some of the larger specimens being many times heavier than examples from elsewhere in the vicinity. Pupation usually takes place from June onwards, the adult emerging in mid-summer and not unusually to as late as October and November. The pupa is parasitised by the Dipteron, Megaselia rufipes Mg.; where stumps inhabited by ¢ristis also house colonies of the ant, Lasius niger L., Duffy (1953) has described how, once the roots were split open, the exposed larvae and pupae of tristis were subjected to swarms of ants which would seize them tightly in their mandibles; no exaplanation for this curious behaviour is offered. Imagines are largely nocturnal, sometimes attracted to light, and not averse to sampling the juice of ripe fruit, including peaches. They may, however, be found during the day, sunning themselves on logs and stumps. A very wary beetle, swift on its legs, it is not easily caught by hand. A common method of capture is the use of bark traps in which the insect will hide. There are no published records of its ever having been found in the same locality as A. rusticus; the reasons for such an apparent incompatibility are as yet unresolved: all that can be said at present is that as rusticus continues to spread across the country, so the population of A. ¢ristis is evidently in decline. Asemumi striatum L. A beetle that is unlikely to be found other than in forests and woodiands of a coniferous nature. It has been recorded from this country for at least the last 160 years but was at first considered to be exclusively a Highland species — it is indeed well-represented in Scotland and was figured by Curtis as long ago as 1830. Since those early times, however, it has been captured in wide areas around the Thames and Hampshire basins, and there are many county records from the Midlands, the north and East Anglia, besides others from the southern and south-western regions of 58 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.11.1990 England. Distribution is still a little patchy; many specimens have no doubt been introduced southwards from Scotland and in infested timber imported from abroad. It has recently been found in Ireland (Speight, 1988) and there are modern records now from the Principality. ENGLAND: BD BK CH CU DT EX EY GE GW HF HT IW LR NH NM* NN SD SHSL SN SR WK WN WO WS WW WX WALES: FT MN PB RA SCOTLAND: AM AN AS AY BF CT DF ED EI EL FF KB LA PC PE PM PN RE RF RW RXSSGSS IRELAND: QC (Laois) The larva of this species is found in Corsican pine, Douglas and other firs, larch, Mountain and Scots pines. There is an unusual record from oak. It attacks more particularly the stumps and exposed roots of freshly cut trees, branches, standing timber that has suffered outwardly from forest fires, and storm damaged and unstripped logs awaiting removal to timber yards: this accounts for its presence sometimes in sawmills and later in construction wood. Duffy (1953) has recorded telegraph poles severely damaged by A. striatum in contrast to Blair (1947) who expressed the view that its chances of reaching maturity in treated poles were slim. The life cycle varies from two to three years, depending upon the continued freshness of the host tree; the condition of the pabulum also affects growth, adult beetles varying in size from very small examples to others three times as large. Larval parasites include the Ichneumonid, Poemia notata Holmer. and the Braconid, Coelobracon initiator Nees. Stumps and trees already inhabited by A. striatum are attacked by Arhopalus rusticus and Rhagium bifasciatum F.; should their respective larvae meet, which during tunnelling they do, such encounters are distinctly unfriendly, certainly so in the case of the latter, whose larva will retreat towards the roots of a stump, although after eclosion, that beetle will use any convenient Asemum burrow to emerge besides gnawing its own exit hole. A. striatum usually eclodes during April and May and is about until September. Regarded as crepuscular rather than diurnal, it is sometimes attracted to artificial light. During the early part of the day it may be seen just concealed within the mouth of its bolt hole; the slightest disturbance, however, brings about a very rapid retreat down the burrow. Extracting it is quite a problem! (Smith, 1905; Kaufmann, 1946b, 1948). Nevertheless, in warm sunshine, post midday, the beetle emerges, becomes more active and will indulge in flight. At rest on trees and stumps, it characteristically holds its head against the bark with its body extended at an angle of 30 - 45 degrees to the surface. a. agreste F. This aberration with reddish-brown elytra is found not infrequently with the type although not sufficient notice has been taken of its occurrence; THE BRITISH ASEMINAE 32 consequently published records are on the sparse side. ENGLAND: BK CH DT EX GE IW SH WK WN WS WALES: FT SCOTLAND: PM It is almost certain that this form is more widespread in Wales and Scotland than the records above indicate. For some inexplicable reason the aberration is not listed in our most recent British catalogue (Kloet & Hincks, 1977). Tetropium castaneum L. On the evidence so far published this species now appears to be a firm addition to the list of British Cerambycidae. Its presence may well be viewed with mixed feelings: Coleopterists will welcome its establishment here; the Forestry Commission and other interested parties, on the other hand, may be rather less enthusiastic over the quite recent colonisation (still limited and vulnerable) of a beetle which is the most damaging European member of the genus. It had been imported mainly from northern Europe in softwoods used by the building industry, predominantly so during the post-war years of reconstruction. It is from these sources, it is supposed, that T. castaneum has escaped to find new settlements so far restricted to Scotland. ENGLAND: BK* SL* SCOTLAND: AM (AN) AS ED Although 7. castaneum has been found in the Lowlands, it is more typically a montane species with a metamorphosis comparable to that of T. gabrieli. The larva is commonly associated with Norway spruce, but it also attacks firs, larch and Scots pine: abroad, it has been taken from chestnut, oak and walnut trees. Very destructive, successive broods can reduce to uselessness standing live and dying trees within three years. Fortunately (or otherwise) it is parasitised by a host of Ichneumonidae and Braconidae, among which are enumerated Baeacis dissimilis Nees, Coelobracon denigrator L.., Coelocentrus caligatus Grav., Coeloides initiator Nees, Deuteroxorides collaris Grav., Doryctes leucogaster Nees, D. mutillator Thunb., D. obliteratus Nees, Helcon aequator Nees, H. dentator F., H. tardator Nees, Mesoleptus teredo Htg., Neoxorides nitens Grav., Pyracmon austriacus Tsch., Radinopimpla atra Gr., R. brachylabris Krb., Xorides niger Pf. and X. praecatorius F. The very active adult beetle emerges in April and may be found until August. A strong flier, it is attracted to unstripped logs and billets lying in sawmills and timber yards. If spruce, larch and other coniferous trees continue to be imported into this country there is the possibility that castaneum, if present in the logs, will escape and seek ‘naturalisation’ elsewhere in Britain. 60 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 v. fulcratum F. This is the black variety which has been taken with the type form. SCOTLAND: AS ED T. gabrieli Weise A woodland species particularly attracted to afforested areas where there is a preponderance of larch — undoubtedly the favourite larval pabulum. Fairly widespread in England (though Welsh and Scottish records are still too few) and largely occurring in the Midlands, the north, East Anglia and the southern and south-western counties, including the Thames and Hampshire basins. ENGLAND: BD BK BX CB CH CU DM (DY) EK EN ES EX EY GE GW HT IW LN LR MX MY NM OX SD SE SH'SL SN SP SR ST SW WC WK WL WN WO WS WX WY* WALES: MG MN SCOTLAND: AM PC Besides its well-known association with the European larch, the larva is also found in Norway spruce, Scots pine and fir trees. It causes considerable albeit largely superficial damage to felled timber. The discoloured needles and wilting branches of dying standing trees are sometimes an indication of its presence (Klausnitzer & Sander, 1981). The larva is parasitised by a long list of Hymenoptera: — Atanycolus initiator Nees, A. sculpturatus Thoms., Clistopyga sauberi Brauns, Coelobracon denigrator L., C. neesi Marsh, Deuteroxorides collaris Grav., Doryctes mutillator Thunb., D. obliteratus Nees, Ephialtes aciculatus Héllen, E. mesocentrus Grav., Helcon aequator Nees, H. dentator F. Pyracmon austriacus Tsch., P. lucidus Clement, Radinopimpla atra Grav., Rhyssa persuasoria L., Xorides brachylabris Kriechb. and X. irrigator F. As well as the above, larval predators include the Neuropteron, Rhaphidia notata F., the Coleoptera, Malachius bipustulatus L. and Thanasimus formicarius L., and the earwig, Forficula auricularia L. It isa tempting prey, too, to the Green Woodpecker. The normal life cycle takes a year to complete, but in exceptionally warm seasons, this is known to have been reduced to as little as three months, eclosion occurring in April. A widespread if localised beetle, gabrieli may be found throughout the summer; it is at its commonest in August, and where there is infestation it may be present by the hundreds. It runs swiftly, taking to flight in sunny weather. It settles on logs, posts, railings, and less frequently on broom flowers and Heracleum. The beetle in its various stages is found directly under the bark of the trees it attacks and is present regularly in timber yards and sawmills. It has also been recorded as gnawing its way into lead piping in its efforts to gain freedom (Laing, 1919). THE BRITISH ASEMINAE 61 The genus Tetropium appears over the name 7. fuscum F. in the Beare and Donisthorpe British catalogue of 1904; this is, however, an imported species not native to this country. T. gabrieli proper first finds its place in our lists, together with the so-called variety crawshayi Sharp, in Hudson Beare’s catalogue of 1930. Acknowledgements The undermentioned are thanked for providing information and records:— A.A. Allen, Esq., D.B. Atty, Esq., Miss I. Baldwin, Royal Museum of Scotland, J. Cooter, Esq., Dr P.S. Hyman, Mrs. B. Leonard, Librarian, Royal Entomological Society, C. MacKechnie Jarvis, Esq., Mrs M.J. Morgan, University College of North Wales, Dr J.P. O’Connor, National Museum of Ireland and Prof. J.A. Owen. References Allen, A.A., 1981. Arhopalus rusticus L. (Col.: Cerambycidae) in Kent and Essex, Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var., 93: 166. Allenspach, V., 1973. Insecta Helvetica. Catalogus 3 Coleoptera Cerambycidae: 31-32. Zurich. Atty, D.B., 1983. Coleoptera of Gloucestershire. Cheltenham. Aurivillius, C., 1912. Cerambycidae in Junk, W. & Schenkling, S., Coleopterorum Catalogus, 39: 15-21. Berlin. Beare, T. Hudson, 1930. A catalogue of the recorded Coleoptera of the British Isles: 35. London. Birkett, N.L., 1962. Two records of Cerambycidae (Col.) from North Lancashire, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 98: 13. Blair, K.G., 1947. Hylotrupes bajulus L. damaging and Asemum striatum L. (Col., Cerambycidae) at rest on telegraph poles, /bid., 83: 224. Browne, F. Balfour-, 1931. A plea for uniformity in the method of recording insect captures, [bid., 67: 183-193. Buck, F.D., 1955. A provisional list of the Coleoptera of Epping Forest, /bid., 91: 188. Champion, G.C., 1912. Note on the variation in size of Criocephalus ferus Muls., Ibid., 48: 237. — & Lloyd, R.W., 1910. Some interesting British insects (II), /bid., 46: 1-3. 1 plate. Collart, A., 1940. A propos des Tefropium de Belgique (Coleoptera: Ceramby- cidae), Bull. Ann. Soc. Belg., 80: 153-156. Collett, H.R.P., 1930. Notes on the emergence of Criocephalus rusticus L. from the pupa, Northw. Nat., Dec.: 226-228. Cooter, J. & Cribb, P.W., 1975. A Coleopterist’s Handbook. 2nd ed. Feltham. Crawshay, G.A. 1907. The life history of Tetropium gabrieli Ws. = T. fuscum Sharp = 7. crawshayi Sharp, etc., Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1907, 183-212. 6 plates. Crowson, R.A. 1988. Another record of Tetropium castaneum (L.) (Col., Ceramby- cidae) breeding in Scotland, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 126: 36. Curtis, J., 1830. British Entomology, Coleoptera, 7, plate 295. London. — , 1837. A guide to the arrangement of British Insects: 71. 2nd ed. London. Demelt, C. von, 1966. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands, 52:2. Bockkdfer oder Ceramby- cidae, 1. Jena. 62 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 Dibb, J.R., 1948. Field book of Beetles. Hull. Duffy, E.A.J., 1946. Records of Coleopterous larvae from Surrey, with a note on host plants, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 82: 270-273. — , 1953. A monograph of the immature stages of British and imported Timber Beetles (Cerambycidae). London. Ellis, H.W., 1903. Criocephalus polonicus Motsch. — a genus and species of Longicorn Coleoptera new to Britain, Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var., 15: 259-260. Fowler, W.W., 1890. The Coleoptera of the British Islands, 4, London. — , & Donisthorpe, H. StJ. K., 1913. Ibid., 6 (Supplement). London. Fraser, M.G., 1948. Tetropium castaneum L. (Col., Cerambycidae) in Lanca- shire, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 84: 192. Freude, H., Harde, K.W. & Lohse, G.A., 1966. Die Kdfer Mitteleuropas, 9. Krefeld. Hall, C.A., 1914. Common British Beetles. London. Hansen, V. ef. al., 1960. Catalogus Coleopterorum Fennoscandiae et Daniae (ed. Lindroth, C.H.): 358-359. Lund. Harde, K.W., 1984. A field guide in colour to Beetles. English edn., Hammond, P.M. London. Harris, E.C., 1952. A note on Criocephalus ferus Muls. (Col., Cerambycidae, Aseminae) in French Maritime Pine, Pinus pinaster Aiton, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 145-147. 2 figs. Hickin, N., 1987. Longhorn Beetles of the British Isles. Princes Risborough. Horton, G.A.N., 1980. Pyrrhidium sanguineum L. and Criocephalus rusticus L. (Col.: Longicornia) in Monmouthshire, Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var., 92: 52. Houlbert, C., 1912. Dégats produits par le Criocephalus rusticus dans les bois de construction. J/nsecta 2 (24): 302-310. 1 plate, 6 figs. Hunter, F.A., 1958. Tetropium gabrieli Weise (Col., Cerambycidae) in the Scottish Highlands, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 94: 130. Hyman, P.S., 1986. Invertebrate Site Register, 64, 1a (Cerambycidae): 56. Peter- borough. Janson, E.W., 1863. British Beetles. London. Joy, N.H., 1976. A practical handbook of British Beetles. 2 vols.2nd ed. Faringdon. Kaufmann, R.R. Uhthoff-, 1946a. The Longicorn Coleoptera of Wales, Entomolo- gist’s Rec. J. Var., 58: 105-108. — , 1946b. Asemum striatum L. (Col., Cerambycidae) in Cheshire, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 82: 198. — , 1947. Notes on the occurrence of Hy/otrupes bajulus L. (Col., Cerambycidae) in the British Isles, /bid., 83: 37-40. — , 1948. Notes on the distribution of the British Longicorn Coleoptera, Jbid., 84: 66-85. — , 1948. An annotated list of the Scottish Longicorn Coleoptera, Proc. R. Phys. Soc. Edin., 23(2): 83-94. — , 1989. Browne versus Watson, Round 2. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 101: 61-63. Kevan, D.K., 1949. Tetropium castaneum L. (Col., Cerambycidae) in Scotland, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 85: 28. — , 1964. Tetropium castaneum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Col., Cerambycidae): is this species now definitely established in Scotland?, /bid., 100: 111-112. Klausnitzer, B. & Sander, F., 1981. Die Bockkdfer Mitteleuropas. Wittenberg Lutherstadt. Kloet, G.S. & Hincks, W.D., 1945. A check list of British Insects: 200. Stockport. — , 1977. Idem, 11(3), Coleoptera and Strepsiptera: 70. 2nd ed. London. THE BRITISH ASEMINAE 63 Laing, F., 1919. Insects damaging lead, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 55: 278-279. — , 1920. Idem: supplementary note, [bid., 56: 12. Linssen, E.F., 1959. Beetles of the British Isles, 2. London. Lyneborg, L., 1977. Beetles in colour. English edn. Vevers, G., Poole. Mandl, K., 1973. Uber die europdischen Arten des Gattung Arhopalus Serville (Criocephalus Mulsant) und Beschreibung einer neuen Subspecies des Arhopalus ferus Muls. (Col. Cerambycidae), Mitt. Miinch. Ent. Ges., 1972, 62: 154-162. Mendel, H., 1978. Suffolk Coleoptera: Corrigenda, Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc., 17(4): 388-390. O’Connor, J.P. & Nash, R., 1983. Insects imported into Ireland 5. Records of Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera, /r. Nat. J.,21(3): 114-117. Owen, J.A., 1986. Tetropium castaneum (L.) (Col., Cerambycidae) breeding in Scotland, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 124: 144. Pic, M., 1891. Matériaux pour servir a l’étude des Longicornes 1: 18-19. Lyons. Price, A., 1962. Tetropium castaneum L. and Tetropium velutinum Lec. (Col., Cerambycidae) imported into Britain, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 98: 74. Sharp, D., 1905-06. The genus Criocephalus, Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., 1905, 145-164. 1 plate. Smith, F.G., 1905. The habits of Asemum striatum and Criocephalus ferus, Ibid., 165-176. Speight, M.C.D., 1988. The Irish Cerambycid fauna (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Bull. Ir. biogeog. Soc., 11: 41-76. Stephens, J.F., 1829. A systematic catalogue of British Insects: 200. London. — , 1831. Illustrations of British Entomology, Mandibulata, 4. London. — , 1839. A manual of British Coleoptera. London. Villiers, A., 1978. Faune des Coléopteéres de France, 1. Cerambycidae. Paris. Walker, J.J., 1922. Asemum striatum, etc., in the New Forest, Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 58: 189-190. — , 1932. The Dale Collection of British Coleoptera, [bid., 68: 105. Winkler, A., 1929. Catalogus Coleopterorum regionis palaearcticae, 10: 1139. Vienna. The 5 spot ladybird in Warwickshire I wish to put on record the capture of a rare ladybird in Warwickshire. On the afternoon of 22nd July 1989 a male 5 spot ladybird (Coccinella 5-punctata L.) was netted in flight, in the north-western corner of Sutton Park (OS ref. SP089984), which lies just north of Birmingham between Streetly and Sutton Coldfield. The ladybird was of an orange red coiour. For most species of this genus such a coloration is characteristic of young adults which have only recently emerged from pupae, and have yet to pass through a winter. Both the geographical location, and the habitat where this ladybird was taken are unusual for the species. Majerus and Fowles (in press) give the distribution of this species as a disjunct one including five principal regions, southern Devon and Cornwall, south Dorset, west Wales, Cumbria and Northumbria, and the Spey. Valley in Scotland. However, it should be noted that there have been no records for Dorset, Devon or 64 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 Cornwall since 1941 (Muggleton pers. comm.). As regards habitat, Majerus and Fowles state that the species is found on, or close to, unstable river shingles, where it is occasionally locally common in Wales. The site where the Sutton Park ladybird was netted was on the edge of a small area of deciduous woodland, close to the route of the Roman Road, Ryknild Street. There was no river shingle, or indeed river, in the immediate vicinity, the only water being a series of small pools on the common (the nearest being Bracebridge pool) which are connected by streams that then drain into Plants Brook. The only shingle nearby was imported shingle in a railway cutting. Intensive searches of the park following the initial capture on 22nd July, and on two subsequent days in August failed to reveal any more individuals of this species. I therefore suggest tentatively that this ladybird, the first Warwickshire record for the species, was a vagrant, possibly having flown with the assistance of a westerly tail wind, from Wales. Reference: Majerus, M.E.N. and Fowles, A.P. (in press). The rediscovery of the 5 spot ladybird (Coccinella 5-punctata) L. in Britain. Entomologist’s mon. Mag.— M.E.N. MAJERUS, Department of Genetics, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH. Record of Gyrinus minutus Fabricius (Col.: Gyrinidae) from Cumbria. While searching for corixids in High Nook Tarn, Cumbria (NGR NY124.199) on 21st February,1988 I netted five specimens of this beetle which were actively swimming in and out of some partly submerged plants of Bogbean in a small area of shallow water. The tarn lies at an altitude of nearly 725 feet and is situated in a depression at the foot of Carling Knott Fell to the south of Holme Wood, Loweswater. G. minutus is regarded as being of rare occurrence in Britain and is now classified by the Nature Conservancy Council as a notable ‘‘B’’ species. It is mainly confined to northern and western districts in this country, but it is also known from a few southern counties as well. The beetle is associated with various aquatic habitats which include lakes, ponds, drains but more especially upland peat pools. G. minutus has previously been recorded from Cumbria which includes v.c.70, and F.H. Day in his list of Coleoptera from Cumberland (1909, Trans. Carlisle nat. Hist. Soc., vols. 1-4) records it from Newton Reigny Moss (NGR NY47.30) and Styhead Tarn, Scafell (NGR NY21.07). It has also been found at Tarn Dubs (NGR NY11.47) by David Bilton (1984, Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 120: 251). I wish to thank Andrew Foster for very kindly identifying the specimens of G. minutus for me and to Dr Roger Key (Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough) for additional information regarding the status of the beetle in this country.x— R.W.J. READ, 43 Holly Terrace, Hensingham, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 8RF. STATUS OF YPONOMEUTA EVONYMELLA 65 THE STATUS OF YPONOMEUTA EVONYMELLA (LINNAEUS, 1758) AND Y. RORRELLA (HUBNER, 1813) (LEP., YPONOMEUTIDAE) IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND A.M. EMMET Labrey Cottage, Victoria Gardens, Saffron Waldon, Essex, CBI] 3AF Yponomeuta evonymella THIS species, the larva of which is recorded only on bird-cherry (Prunus padus), is a common resident in Wales, the north of England and parts of Scotland. The larvae feed in communal webs which festoon the foodplant and numbers are often so great as to cause serious defoliation. Bird-cherry occurs only sparingly in the south of England (e.g. Jermyn, 1974) and usually where the bushes have been planted by man (McClintock & Fitter, 1956). Prior to the invention of the mercury-vapour light-trap, the moth was but rarely recorded in the south; for example, Harwood (1903) cited only a single record from Essex. In his manuscript diary, C.R.N. Burrows reported larvae of ‘Yponomeuta evonymella’ on 10th June, 1889 in the Brentwood area, without naming the foodplant. When Burrows supplied his records through E.A. Fitch to Harwood for inclusion in the Victoria County History of Essex, he did not include this species. I have drawn attention to inaccuracies in the diary, which was written solely as a personal aide-memoire (Emmet, 1981: 16), and it is at least possible that Burrows, who was not a microlepidopterist, was simply recording yponomeutid larvae on Euonymus, which would, of course, not have been Y. evonymella. | know of no other report of larvae being found in the south of England, although their massive communal webs could hardly escape notice. Since the introduction of the Robinson mv trap, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of recordings. Whereas Emmet (1981) gives only two modern records from Essex, my card index now carries 21 localities from 15 10x10km squares supplied by eight recorders, not all of them microlepidopterists. The actual total is even higher, since i do not duplicate records of common species, as this one now is. There is no reason to suppose that Essex differs much from neighbouring counties. | emphasise that all the entries are of adults, none of the early stages. Most are of single specimens, or of very low numbers. However, on the night of 7/8 July, 1989 I recorded an estimated total of 500 in and around my trap in Saffron Walden. I made no exact count at the time, but four hours after I had emptied the trap there were still between 70 and 80 resting on the wall of the house although this was in full sunshine. I noted the weather conditions as warm, dry but humid, with an east wind of 10-15 mph. 66 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.11.1990 On the same night Brian Goodey was running an mv light at Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve on the Colne estuary and also recorded an estimated 500 moths of this species. A.J. Dewick of Bradwell-on-Sea is not a microlepidopterist, but that night he had so many that he boxed one to show me and to inquire its identity. However, David Agassiz recorded only about a dozen at Grays on the Thames estuary, his highest total to date but small compared with the numbers in the north and east of the county. The moths persisted at Saffron Walden, at first numbering about 50 at night, but gradually diminishing until the 24th July, when a sharp increase suggested a further influx; however, throughout the period the moths were nearly all in mint condition, perhaps indicating a steady inflow. They went on until the 31st July, when a sharp fall in temperature resulted in there being only 14 species in the trap, the average for the month, including the 31st, having been 89. There were one or two stragglers in early August. Brian Goodey continued to record Y. evonymella at various sites in north- east Essex, but his numbers were lower than mine in the north-west. I made inquiries from friends in the south of England and found that the invasion had been widespread, but the Essex numbers had not been matched anywhere else. The records I received are summarised below. Localities are assigned to counties according to the Watsonian boundaries. Many of the traps were run at the site mentioned only on the one night. Cornwall (vcl) - The Lizard, 6/7 July (B. Baker). (vc2) - St Austell, 6-10 July, several at car-park lights, ‘‘the first time I have ever had this species in Cornwall’’ (J. Gregory). Wiltshire (vc7) - Savernake Forest, 8/9 July (M.F.V. Corley). Dorset (vc9) - Holt Forest, 8/9 July, at least double figures (N. Hall); Lyme Regis, 5 August (M.F.V. Corley). Hampshire (vcl1) - Southsea, 6/7 July, c. 50 (J.R. Langmaid). Surrey (vcl7) - Box Hill, 21 July; Virginia Water, 22 July, a new record (P. Baker). Essex (vcs 18, 19) - see above. Hertfordshire (vc20) - Bishops Stortford, 6-25 July, several, with a peak of 14 on the 23rd (no trap 6/7, 7/8 July) (C.W. Plant). Middlesex (vc21) - Hampstead, 4-26 July, 100 in all with peaks on the 8th (11), and the 11th (14) and the 17th (31). Previous records in 1982 (2) and 1983 (3) only (R.A. Softly). Berkshire (vc22) - Ambarrow Court, 6/7 July, at least double figures (N. Hall); Faringdon, 7 July - 4 August, c. 25 in all, no peak; Cumnor Hurst, 19 July; Bagley Wood, 21 July (M.F.V. Corley). Oxfordshire (vc23) - Goring, 9 July (M.F.V. Corley); Bix, 21 July, a few (M. Albertini). Buckinghamshire (vc24) - Ashridge, 7 July; Grangelands, 8 July; Burnham, 15 July, a few at each site (M. Albertini). Herefordshire (vc36) - Ledbury, 11 July - 10 August, a total of 35 on the seven nights when the trap was run, with a peak of 24 on 11/12 July. Previous records only in 1988 (c. six) (M.W. Harper). STATUS OF YPONOMEUTA EVONYMELLA 67 Contemporary opinion (e.g. Agassiz, 1987; Emmet, 1981, 1988) suggests the possibility of an alternative foodplant, possibly another Prunus species, in southern England. I now regard this as unlikely. As stated above, the larval feeding is very conspicuous but has never, as far as I know, been observed in the south. The following anecdote reinforces my hypothesis. In 1970 I brought a nest of young larvae to Essex from Derbyshire. When their supply of Prunus padus began to run out, I put some plum leaves in the container and they were accepted. I therefore sleeved most of the larvae on the plum-tree, but they ceased feeding and all died. Those that I had kept in the container, which still held the remains of the highly aromatic bird-cherry, fed on and produced adults, though much undersized. The inference is that it was the smell of the bird-cherry that induced the larvae to take a foodplant that was in fact unsuitable. My opinion now is that the Y. evonymella that occur in southern England are migrants, arriving in most years in small nunbers, but in many thousands in 1989. If this is true, what is their place of origin? One possibility is the north of England and I tried to ascertain whether the species had been unusually plentiful there in 1989. No one seemed to have noticed abnormal abundance and one observer (Michael Harper) voiced the opinion that there had been fewer larval nests than usual in southern Scotland. The fact that the moths reached the south coast a day earlier than Essex suggests an influx from France, but the higher numbers in Essex and the east wind on the night in question point to northern Europe as the source. The moths did not necessarily all come from one place or at one time. It would be interesting to compare the dates on which this species was recorded with those of known migrants. Brian Goodey recorded Ethmia terminella Fletcher, a species new to Essex, as well as the 500 Yponomeuta evonymella at Fingringhoe on the night 7/8 July. Its foodplant, viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) is ‘‘scattered and in small quantity, diminishing’’ in Essex (Jermyn, 1974) and does not grow at Fingringhoe. In Britain E. terminella is resident only at Dungeness and on the Sussex coast nearby. The Essex specimen could have flown up from Kent but in the prevailing east wind we think it more likely that it came from the Continent. Colin Plant reported that at Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire (12 miles from Saffron Walden) there was an immigration of up to 50 lacewings, mostly Chrysopa canea (Stephens) and, in smaller numbers, C. flava (Linnaeus), on the night 6/7 July and again on 22/23 July, an unusual event. Yponomeuta rorrella This is another species that is erratic in its appearance. There are, however, several differences from Y. evonymella. It is recorded only from the counties south-east of a line from the Humber to the Severn estuary and thence to the Solent. It does not occur in small numbers annually but enjoys local plenty for several years and then disappears as suddenly as it 68 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 came. It seems to persist at some favoured spot such as Dungeness but for the most part it is only a temporary resident. These habits were described to me many years ago by the late S. Wakely who, with L.T. Ford, led the revival of British interest in the Microlepidoptera. Consequently, when in 1988 I heard from Brian Goodey that he had taken five adults at light at Fingringhoe, from Barry Dickerson that he had had it in Huntingdonshire and from A.J. Boot that he had recorded it in Northamptonshire, all new county records, I predicted that we would hear more of it in 1989. The larva feeds on white willow (Salix alba) and I had a brief and unsuccessful search for it with the aid of field-glasses in the Fingringhoe area in June. It was, however, no surprise when an adult came to my trap in Saffron Walden on the 25th July, to be followed by 12 more on the next three nights and by a laggard on the 10th August. Elsewhere in Essex, Brian Goodey took several in the Colchester area and David Agassiz one at Grays. In other counties, Raymond Softly recorded six at Hampstead between the 18th and 25th July and John Langmaid three at Southsea on the 24th and 25th July, the second record for Hampshire. The largest numbers were at Faringdon, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire) where Martin Corley had 30-40 in and around his trap on the night 23/24 July. He had previously recorded individuals in 1982 and 1983, but none in the years 1984-1988. He reports that there were other captures in his district, by Stephen Nash at Fernham and Philip Sterling at Oxford. These inland records are interesting, since it has been reported more frequently near the coast, there being records from all the coastal vice-counties from Hampshire to Norfolk. I see no reason to disagree with the views of Stan Wakely, expressed 25 years ago, that Y. rorrella comes to southern Britain as an immigrant from the Continent. Herein it resembles Y. evonymella, but whereas that species fails to establish itself because of the rarity of its foodplant, there is no shortage of the cricket-bat willows favoured by Y. rorrella. The latter is a scarce resident whose numbers are augmented by immigration; our climate, however, is unsuitable for high numbers to be sustained. Acknowledgements I wish to express my thanks to the entomologists mentioned above who have given me their records and allowed me to incorporate them in this paper. References Agassiz, D.J.L., 1987. The British Yponomeutinae. Proc. Trans. Br. ent. nat. Hist. Soc. 20: 13-26, 2 col. pls. Emmet, A.M., 1981. The smaller moths of Essex, 158 pp., maps, figs. London. -- , (Ed.), 1988. A field guide to the smaller British Lepidoptera (Edn 2),288pp. London. Harwood, W.H., 1903. Lepidoptera in The Victoria County History of Essex 1: 136-177. STATUS OF YPONOMEUTA EVONYMELLA 69 Jermyn, S.T., 1974. Flora of Essex, 302 pp., maps, figs, 6 col. pls. Fingringhoe, Essex. McClintock, D. & Fitter, R.S.R., 1956. The pocket guide to wild flowers, xii, 340 pp., 140 pls (64 col.), text figs. London. Ethmia terminella Fletch. (Lep.: Oecophoridae. Ethmiinae) in Essex On 7-8th July 1989 at Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve (four miles south of Colchester) I was inundated by a blizzard of small white moths which I identified as being Yponomeuta evonymella L. A.M. Emmet discusses the broader aspects of this invasion elsewhere in this issue, so it is only necessary here to say that during the peak period of activity, approximately an hour either side of midnight, I counted 500 on one groundsheet alone. There were many more examples still in the air, at rest away from the groundsheet, and at the other traps and lamps I had set up. The night was ideal for recording with a good number of unusual species (for Essex) present, such as Cnaemidophorus rhododactyla D. & S. and Oligia versicolor Borkh. However, my eyes alighted on an evonymella that looked obviously different. This in fact turned out to be Ethmia terminella Fletch.., a new county record. The current British distribution for this species is restricted to the Dungeness area, Kent, with an extension of range into East Sussex. In Europe its range includes southern Scandinavia and the Low Countries. The larval foodplant, Echium vulgare, is no longer found in north-east Essex, and it is possible that the evonymella and terminella shared a common origin — perhaps north-west Europe. It seems clear that a large scale movement of some kind occurred around this period. My thanks to A.M. Emmet and D.J.L. Agassiz.— BRIAN GOODEY, 298 Ipswich Road, Colchester, Essex CO4 4ET. A second brood of the Dotted Footman, Pelosia muscerda Hufn. (Lep.: Arctiidae) in 1989 Whilst staying in Norfolk on Ist August 1989, among a small number of moths which came to an actinic tube on a sheet, was a female Dotted Footman, which laid about 30 eggs over a period of several hours. These soon hatched and most fed up and owing, perhaps, to the hot summer produced over 20 moths in September. I gave them lichens and algae, but they fed mainly on dead sycamore leaves.— S.M. JACKSON, 31 Hillfield, Selby, North Yorkshire YO8 OND. Some notable migrants taken in the Dungeness area, Kent, during 1989 During another year of much immigrant activity in the Dungeness and Greatstone area of S.E. Kent, the following species were the most noteworthy recorded from the three permanent mv traps in the area: Scopula rubiginata Hufn. male, Greatstone 17.8.89; Mythimna /-album L. male, Greatstone 23.10.89; Mythimna loreyi Dup. female, Dungeness, 70 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.111. 1990 30.10.89; Heliothis armigera Hb. Dungeness, 23.10.89,Greatstone 25 and 26.9.89 and 22.10.89; Deltote bankiana Fab. male, Greatstone, 7.7.89. The record of M. /-album is of interest as it is one of four individuals that I have heard of being taken in the Dungeness area during 1989. As far as I am aware, there were only two Kent records prior to this year (Dungeness 1934 and Dymchurch 1988); the spate of records in 1989 possibly suggests an easterly spread of range from the species’ south coast breeding sites. This theory has some support from the number of recent records from coastal areas in East Sussex.— S.P. CLANCY, Delhi Cottage, Dungeness, Romney Marsh, Kent TN29 9NE. Presumed occurrence of late broods in Lepidoptera in 1989 I read with interest the recent notes by E.G. Smith (antea 101: 36) and David Young (antea 101: 197) on the possibility of a second brood in the pyralid Cynaeda dentalis D. & S., as this species certainly produced a second brood at Dungeness, Kent, in 1989 with specimens, a majority of them fresh but smaller in size than normal first-brood specimens, occurring on most nights between 4th and 24th September after a period of nearly two months without an adult being seen in the Dungeness area. Several other species of lepidoptera, of which no reference could be found to a second brood in the literature or mentioned only as being of very irregular or occasional occurrence, also produced specimens of an apparently late brood in S.E. Kent. They invariably involved fresh specimens being taken after the last worn specimens of first brood had long since expired. It should also be noted that many of the first broods were earlier than usual in the exceptionally mild conditions of spring/early summer 1989. Late species included Pedasia contaminella Hiibn. (13.9 - 26.9); Oncocera semirubella Scop. (3.9); Pyralis farinalis L. (23.9); Euproctis similis Fues. (23.9 - 11.10); Tyria jacobaeae L. (31.10); Agrotis exclamationis L. (19.8 - 13.10); Ourapteryx sambucaria L. (18.10 - 30.10); Ceramica pisi L. (19.8 - 21.8); Mythimna comma L. (30.9); and Mythimna favicolor Barr. (17.8). (Note: favicolor is not known to breed at Dungeness, but this and other salt-marsh species turn up from time to time.) Whilst it may be argued that the odd retarded individual may occur after the usual emergence time, these records mostly refer to a number of individuals, often small specimens, occurring in the main two to three months after the earlier brood. It would be interesting to learn how frequent and widespread additional broods were. I understand, for example, that late specimens of dentalis, semirubella and sambucaria occurred in Sussex and Dorset (M. Parsons), and similis produced a second brood in Somerset (J.C. Lidgate).— S.P. CLANCY, Delhi Cottage, Dungeness, Romney Marsh, Kent TN29 9NE. THE ESSEX EMERALD Hal ESSEX EMERALD MOTH, THETIDIA SMARAGDARIA MARITIMA PROUT (LEP.: GEOMETRIDAE) — AN UPDATE P. WARING Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough. FURTHER to my note in Ent. Rec. 101: 231-232 concerning the captive rearing of the Essex Emerald moth, 7. smaragdaria, in preparation for attempts to establish new colonies in the wild from 1990 onwards, I can report that the Nature Conservancy Council now has approximately 500 larvae (as at November 1989) which are currently overwintering out of doors on the haulms of their captive foodplants. The developments since the previous communication are as follows. From 135 young larvae bred in July 1988, 86 adults emerged from pupae (48 males and 38 females). Emergences took place between 14th June and 21st July 1989 though on 14th June many larvae were still spinning and some were still feeding. The total mortality rate from eggs hatching to adult stage was therefore 36%. Over the same period in the wild 56 larvae were counted between 26th and 28th September 1988, 13 were found after the winter on 18th April 1989 and seven cocoons were discovered on 24th June 1989. A female was struggling to emerge from one of the cocoons but had evidently become trapped for her wings were already dried in a crumpled condition though she had not escaped the pupal case. All the other cocoons contained only empty pupal cases and appeared to have produced adults successfully. One female in perfect condition was seen at rest amongst sea wormwood Artemisia maritima nearby but no other adults were seen. No larvae or adults were removed from the wild this year. This is our only opportunity to study the moth in its native habitat and we are observing without interference. Sexing of the pupal cases showed that three had given rise to males and three to females. One pupal case was fragmented and the sex could not be determined. The known mortality rates were 77% between September 1988 and April 1989 and between 46 and 54% between April and June 1989 depending on whether the crippled female is included. The total mortality recorded between September 1988 and June 1989 of 88% is more than twice as high as in captivity at Peterborough and this figure does not include any mortality sustained in the early instars from July to September in the wild. The present generation in the wild numbered at least 27 larvae on 17th August 1989, which is only half the number counted the previous year, so the colony size has declined. The captive-bred adults produced over 800 eggs. The egg-load of a female is approximately 80. This is based on the dissection of a freshly emerged female that was killed by a spider (Enoplognatha ovata det P. Kirby), only hours after emergence. Seventy-seven eggs were counted in her abdomen. The total egg outputs of five laying females kept in isolation from other females from mating to death were 62, 75 and 86 in 1988 and 71 WZ ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.111. 1990 and 82 in 1989 giving a mean of 75. On this basis many of the 37 females that emerged in June and July 1989 did not lay all their eggs. Ensuring that matings and eggs were obtained was extremely time-consuming on top of my other duties and arrangements are being made for assistance in 1990. Just over 600 of the eggs hatched. Most of these were obtained by bringing the adults into unheated rooms where mating and egg-laying were more successful than when males and females were left together out of doors. The moths and eggs experienced a similar daylength but lower maximum daytime temperatures in these rooms than were recorded outside and every effort was made to put the larvae outdoors on netted potted plants in the first and second instars and all before the end of July. Nevertheless, by late July it was evident that some larvae had “‘bolted’’. They were already too large for overwintering. In all, three per cent of the brood produced a second generation of adults in 1989. These pupated from 10th August onwards and the adults emerged between 24th August and 15th September 1989. This partial second generation resulted almost entirely from among the first larvae to hatch. Most of these bolted individuals were spotted and kept indoors in the hope that they would emerge in time to get their progeny to overwintering stage before the end of the growing season of the foodplant. However, one male emerged from 75 larvae that had been out of doors since 20th July and eight adults including at least four females emerged from 74 larvae that had been outdoors since 24th July. The autumn emergence, of 21 adults, was spread over three weeks with individual life spans ranging from 1 - 7 days. Most of these moths were fed into a single mating cage containing a large potted Artemisia abrotanum as they emerged so that the freshest males and females were constantly able to encounter each other and older females also had access to males, but only about 40 eggs were laid in total and none hatched. In a second cage which I established in the last week of the emergence, the last four females to emerge were placed with three males, including one that had emerged that day. No eggs were laid at all so the partial second generation left no progeny. My visit to the wild colony on 17th August 1989 was to find out if there was any evidence of a partial second generation taking place there too. From the size of the 27 larvae found, they had reached the third instar but none were large enough to indicate ‘‘bolting’’ and by this stage they should have been in the final instar if this was the case. In southern Europe T. smaragdaria is bi-voltine and the occurrence of a partial second generation in Britain was recorded long ago both in captivity (eg Burrows, 1900, 1901) and in the wild (Turner 1895 a+b). The latter found ‘‘several dozen’”’ larvae at a site on the Essex marshes on 31st August 1895, one of which was full grown and which pupated on 4th September, producing an adult on 26th September, 1895. THE ESSEX EMERALD 73 This year I have received an unusual number of reports of late specimens of other species with overwintering larvae that are normally univoltine, which may indicate that partial second generations occurred in the wild. These include the Small Emerald, Memistola chrysoprasaria, 24th September, in Wiltshire, Lilac Beauty, Apeira syringaria 27th August and 5th September also in Wiltshire and Goldtail, Euproctis similis — several specimens, one as late as 26th October, in North Hampshire. Equally unusual was a report of a ful/-grown Garden Tiger moth caterpillar, Arctia caja in Essex on Ist October (J. Young. pers. comm.) The five hundred Essex Emerald larvae now in captivity are being kept in similar conditions to those in the winters of 1987/88 and 1988/89 but some are now in Essex rather than Peterborough. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my colleague Roger Key for looking after the livestock for the fortnight of my annual leave. References Turner, H.J., 1895. Phorodesma smaragdaria emerging in autumn. Entomologist, 28: 307. — , 1895. An unusually late emergence of Phorodesma smaragdaria. Entomolo- gist’s Rec. J. Var., 7: 82-83. Burrows, C.R.N., 1900. Phorodesma smaragdaria, Fabricius. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 12: 113-115, 152-154, 168-172. — , 1901. The foodplants of Phorodesma smaragdaria, Fab. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 13: 197-198. Epiphyas postvittana (Walk.) (Lep.: Tortricidae) in Leicestershire I read with interest Ted Hancock’s account of Epiphyas postvittana in Wales (Ent. Rec. 101: 277). A single specimen of this moth was caught at my light in a garden in Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire (OS ref. SK 521 037) in September 1989. The moth was positively identified by Mr R. Barnett, Assistant Curator at the City Museum Bristol. As far as I can determine, this is the northernmost record for postvittana in Great Britain. The moth was a very well marked male, apparently newly emerged. I would like to know of any further records of postvittana in Leicestershire so it may be established whether or not the species is breeding in the county.— JANE MCPHAIL, 7 Station Close, Kirby Muxloe, Leics LE9 9ES. Oak Eggar moth — Highflyer or upwardly mobile climber? Whilst high-pruning branches from a Norway maple in my garden here on Ist November I found a first-year larva of the Oak Eggar lying along a branch well out into the tree crown at at height of sixteen feet from the ground (or as our Eurolepidopterists might have it 4.87 metres). It is not 74 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.111.1990 uncommon to find overwintered larvae of the moth on ivy foliage well up on hedgerow trees and bushes but this maple was a young tree with a totally clean trunk and free of adjoining foliage. So was its egg laid there or did the larva ascend? The implications could be profound for those amongst us who research into the fundamental behaviour of our Lepidoptera. Perish the thought that L. quercus is emulating H. sapiens in the belief that, next to being high-born, success in life is gained through travelling ever upwards.— G.M. HAGGETT, Meadows End, Northacre, Caston, Norfolk NR17 1DG. Unusual abundance of the Holly Blue, Celastrina argiolus L. (Lep.: Lycaenidae) in 1989 in parts of Sussex Kenneth Smith in North London was not alone in noting the unusual flight period and large numbers of Holly Blues in the summer of 1989 (Ent. Rec. 101: 278). For several years I have been trying to get good close-up slides of these lively little butterflies. This has usually involved hanging about near the post box close to my home where there is a mass of holly and ivy in an overgrown garden; in April - early May and August, one or two butterflies may, with luck, be seen dashing about at breakneck speed. However, in 1989 I did not see any here until 20th May. So when I went to woods below the downs near West Dean, Chichester, on 12th and 14th July 1989 to photograph other species, I was most surprised to see Holly Blues in almost every thicket and on most wet patches in the road. On 21st July, I went to Willingdon Point, Eastbourne, to photograph Chalkhill and Common Blues, but again Holly Blues were more numerous than either, albeit in the thickets rather than in the open. My last sighting here in Selsey was on 4th October 1989. These unusually high populations are interesting in view of the very low numbers of sightings countrywide between 1986 and 1988 (Pollard E. & Hall M.L. Butterfly monitoring in 1988. Entomologist 108: 229-242).— R.C. DENING, 20 Vincent Road, Selsey PO20 9DQ. Return of the White-letter Hairstreak At approximately 17.00 hours on 16th July, I noticed a single male specimen of Satyrium w-album Knoch, the White-letter Hairstreak, feeding on Buddleia in my back garden. There are still a relatively small number of elm trees in the neighbourhood but it is the first time for over 20 years that I have noticed this particular butterfly in the locality. In the late 1950s and early 1960s it used to be quite common in a locality in Banstead, Surrey, approximately three miles from where I live, but the habitat in question was totally destroyed following redevelopment of what was originally Ministry of Defence surplus land.— M.S. HARVEY, Highfields House, Highfields, Ashstead, Surrey. COLLECTING NOTES — 1989 75 COLLECTING NOTES 1989 M.D. BRYAN Department of Natural History, City Museum, Birmingham ON 21st MAY we arrived en famille on the Isle of Mull. Primarily, the visit was to see Boyd Barr and drink all his whisky — an impossible task as any fellow collector who has shared Boyd’s hospitality will readily confirm! Sunny, clear weather prevailed for the week, but clear skies and cold northerly winds badly affected moth trapping. Interesting species in the trap included Cyclophora albipuncta Hufn., Nebula salicata latentaria Curt., Odontosia carmelita Esp., and Papestra biren Goeze. From a female biren I later reared a number of pupae. Against my better judgement, I allowed Boyd to persuade me to ascend the cliffs at Calgary Bay to search for larvae of Zygaena purpuralis caledonensis Reiss. This death-defying madness resulted in just two larvae! Most had already pupated. We left Mull for Perth on 27th May, arriving at Almond Bank in the late afternoon. Cool nights again depressed the number of moths taken but I was pleased to find Peridea anceps Goeze. Many specimens of Spilosoma lubricipeda L. came to light and most of these had some degree of ochreous background coloration on the forewings. I retained a female in the hope that a little inbreeding would produce some interesting forms. How I regret that decision. As I write (mid November) I am desperately trying to keep pace with the greed of F3 larvae. About 10% of the F2 pupae decided to hatch (and pair) despite being kept in an unheated and unlit cellar. My garden has never been so devoid of dandelions, docks and sow thistles! Needless to say, only very typical /ubricipeda have appeared so far. On 22nd June we drove to Flamborough on the Yorkshire coast. On the cliffs below the lighthouse I noticed a number of Zygaenid cocoons and a few freshly-emerged specimens of Zygaena filipendulae stephensi Dup. Oddly enough, all the cocoons I collected produced only Z. /onicerae latomarginata Tutt. On the basis of large size, these north-eastern /onicerae were at one time distinguished as a subspecies. The cocoons I collected did produce a few large specimens but on average the moths were a little smaller than those hatched from wild collected Staffordshire cocoons. I will not bore readers with an account of the butterflies noted in France during the first two weeks of July. However, I will bore you with a few notes about the moths! The tiny hamlet of Le Rousell, near le Buisson in Perigord is probably the only settlement of its kind in France to have introduced mercury vapour street lighting. Despite this unhelpful background, my tiny actinic tube attracted a steady stream of moths with names to delight the British collector. Perhaps Thalera fimbrialis Scop., Cyclophora puppillaria Hb., Hecatera dysodea D. & S., Acronicta auricoma D. & S., and Emmelia trabealis Scop. will serve to illustrate my point. Other visitors to the actinic included the ‘‘Rhino beetle’’ Oryctes 76 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.111. 1990 nasicornis F. and Mantis Fly (Mantispa sp.) which looks like a small mantis but is actually a type of lacewing. I was very pleased to take a fresh female specimen of Harpyia milhauseri F. known in Britain as the Tawny Prominent from a single specimen taken in Sussex in 1966. Fortunately, I resisted the killing jar and I now have a number of milhauseri cocoons overwintering in my shed. The fully grown larva displays the typical prominent shape and is a fine sight in green and beige which exactly match the colours of the summer flush of oak leaves. The larval ‘‘prominence’’ is bright blue. The larvae have an unfortunate habit of biting large holes in nylon netting. The reason for this eludes me for they make no attempt to escape via the holes. Indeed the larvae are very loath to leave the oak twigs until pupation time arrives. The cocoon is hard and resembles a miniature version of that of Cerura vinula L. when firmly anchored to a twig or the wooden elements of the cage. Two small males emerged prematurely in early October. Following a successful trip to South Wales in mid September to look for larvae of Eurodryas aurinia Rott. I returned to Bigbury in south Devon for the first week of October. Migrant moths taken included Heliothis armigera Hb., Mythimna vitellina Hb. and M. unipuncta Haw. Resident species included M. /-album L., Lithophane leautieri hesperica Bours. and Eumichtis lichenea Hb. 1989 saw only two species added to my garden list for Blackwell in north Worcestershire. These were Euphyia unangulata Haw. and Nonagria typhae Thunb. A pleasant development in early October was the appearance in the garden of five specimens of L. /eautieri. I had only recorded one previous specimen in 1985 and hopefully the moth is now firmly established. Abundance of Aporophyla nigra (Haworth) (Lep.: Noctuidae) in Oxfordshire Every year in September and October small numbers (up to four a night) of the black rustic, Aporophyla nigra, appear in the mv or black light trap in my garden at the address below. However, in 1989 an opportunity arose of operating an mv trap in farmland at Long Wittenham, Oxfordshire. The first A. nigra appeared on 31st August and thereafter numbers increased reaching 85 on 23rd September, 137 on 24th September and a peak of 200 on 25th September. There was then a steady decline, although 27 were counted on 23rd October with the last on 25th October when there were six. During 19 nights of trapping at this site in September and October 1989 a total of 740 was counted, making it one of the commonest autumn moths. The species is undoubtedly on the increase in many areas, but whether the high numbers found at Long Wittenham represent recent successful adjust- ment to modern farming or whether 1989 was simply a good year cannot yet be stated. — DENIS F. OWEN, 2 Shelford Place, Headington, Oxford. GREECE — 1988 77 AROUND GREECE IN FOURTEEN DAYS - 1988 DR C.J. LUCKENS Swallowfield, Manor Road, Durley, Hants SO3 2AF. HOW DID the Athenians know we were not Greek? Our hired car had Greek number plates and the rental company’s label was very small, but as we drove through the busy streets of Athens early on our first morning, cyclists and lorry drivers leant over smiling and asked us if we were British! A few cars and especially taxis were less charitable towards our uncertain sense of direction, but finally we cleared the bleak industrial suburbs around Eleusis and sped along the dual carriageway to the Pelopennese. Just after mid-day we turned off onto the winding road which climbs up from the gulf of Corinth towards Kalavryta and soon a broad lay-by with a gurgling spring appeared on our right. We stopped to fill our water carrier and a large but ragged female Charaxes jasius L. swooped down and landed on the damp ground — and was instantly netted. There were no Arbutus bushes anywhere in the vicinity to explain her presence and though we fed her on fermented melon juice (in the hope of sleeving her for eggs after our return), she died unfortunately, on our last day in Greece. After driving through the impressive Vouvraitis gorge we turned off to explore the steep rocky banks beside the river. Melanargia larissa Geyer were common here, along with the three Gonepteryx: G. rhamni L., G. farinosa Zeller (the males distinguished even in flight by their paler hind wings) and G. cleopatra L. The last was represented by a fine large race, the females sulphur-yellow, tinged with a faint orange on the hind wings. CJL, with a somewhat superior air, pointed out a fresh example of one of these female cleopatra and suggested that Michael Chalmers-Hunt should take it. This he did, and found in his net a superb inter-sex aberration, yellow, with splashes of male colour on the forewing! An interesting form of Plebicula escheri Hibn., was taken here; large, with gleaming turquoise wings, ssp. dalmatica Speyer. We also spent a considerable time trying to flush out the male Kirinia roxelana Cramer from their hiding places among the trees beside a small cliff. After moderate success with this large Satyrid we drove on through Kalavryta and took the fine new road leading up to Mount Chelmos. The metalled surface now runs right up to the famous Xerocampos plateau, rough dirt roads leading off from there. We camped a few hundred feet lower down among the pines and whilst scouting around for a suitable place CJL captured a female Cyaniris helena Staud. flitting around in the early evening sun. The following day, 19th June, we were up early and at the plateau well before 9 am. The magnificent Colias aurorina H.-S. was common even at this hour, the males flying vigorously in the cool windy sunshine. A little later on the females put in an appearance, both the typical yellow form and 78 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.11.1990 the less common white f. fountainei. Colias croceus Geoffroy, also flying in some numbers, looked positively diminuitive beside its larger relative. Plebejus pylaon Fisch. was plentiful, particularly around Astragulus bushes alongside the stream beds; and here and there a few ragged Parnassius mnemosyne f. athene Stich were noted, usually favouring the damper areas. The commonest butterfly was undoubtedly Vanessa cardui L. with Issoria lathonia L. a close second. Other fritillaries such as A. aglaia L. and A. niobe L. were also present and the skippers were represented by Spialia orbifer Hiibn. and Carcharodus orientalis Rev. Two or three Pieris ergane Geyer were taken but it was difficult to find undamaged specimens. Around mid-day we explored one of the rough stony roads leading off the plateau, and wandered along the precipitous bed of a stream encountering Nymphalis polychloros L., N. antiopa L. and myriads of blues imbibing at the damp sand. The commonest species was P. pylaon, but a few Lysandra bellargus Rott. and Plebicula amanda Schneider were flying and, to our delight one or two Agrodiaetus coelestinus Eversm. mostly in excellent condition. A good male C. helena was also captured here. Around 3.30 pm. the sky clouded over Chelmos and we zig-zagged our way back down the winding road to Kalavryta, swerving from time to time to avoid jay-walking tortoises and finally meeting the sun again a few hundred feet above the village. We drove back towards our collecting site of the previous day, but sampled the rocky riparian slopes nearer Kalavryta this time. As well as the species already mentioned from this lower level we encountered three of the confusing brown Agrodiaetus species; admetus Esp., pelopi Brown and aroaniensis Brown. They were by no means common (it being early in their flight period) and we found it almost impossible to distinguish between admetus and aroaniensis in net or pill- box, though pe/opi in general was recognisable by its white streaked underside. A large female Papilio alexanor Esp, condition rather passe at this date, was netted in full flight as we were returning to our car. We had had a most eventful time and it was hard to believe that was only our first full collecting day in Greece. While we were sampling the hordes of P. argus L. flying around our tent the next morning, JMC-H spotted a dark Satyrid flitting amongst some rocks beside the road above us. This turned out to be a Pseudochazara anthelea Hiibn., the males common along a limited area beside the road. We explored further along the rough track leading off the plateau, striking the same stream bed higher up, and this, though mostly dry, still held an assortment of butterflies. Numerous Spialia orbifer and C. orientalis and two examples of a fine large Pyrgus species were taken, the latter the Greek form of P. serratulae Ramb. C. aurorina was one of the commonest butter- flies. The males, many past their best were flying everywhere along the GREECE — 1988 19 hillside and the dimorphic females fluttering in numbers around the Astragalus in the side gulleys. CJL took a male aurorina with dark purplish scales replacing the usual dusky orange colour. It was a curious-looking insect and although scale defect has been suggested this is probably not the case as the silky body hairs are also tinged with indigo. JMC-H took further C. helena in fair order and also found a side gulley where female coelestinus flew around some low bushes. Several worn males accompanied them, but there was no sign of Agrodiaetus iphigenia H.-S. for which we were probably a little early. We left this delectable spot around 3.30 pm. to start our journey northward. Crossing the Gulf of Corinth by the ferry at Rio we reached the mainland around 6 pm. in a light shower and we decided to pitch camp straight away at a well-appointed site near the shore. It was dull the next morning as we drove toward the Pindos Mountains through a spectacular gorge where griffon vultures soared in the thermals. The clouds soon dispersed and it became excessively hot and beyond Konitsa in the late afternoon we started to collect near an unusually extensive low plateau — an ancient dried-up river bed. The familiar Astragalus thracicus grew here and also Dr T.W. Tolman has found C. aurorina — much further west than previously recorded. The butterfly emerges at least a month earlier at this low level however, and we saw no sign of it — only vast numbers of Vanessa cardui L. on the flat rocky terrain. Once again the clouds rolled up and there were a few claps of thunder, but in between light showers we found good numbers of Leptidea duponcheli Stdgr., on some flowery banks nearby. P. ergane was also fairly common, and the blues were represented by Pseudophilotes vicrama and Plebicula thersites Chapman. A few roxelana flitted about among the trees. There were still occasional showers the following morning as we approached our next collecting site in the northern Pindos. This was a magnificent area of sunny clearings and slopes surrounded by natural pine forests. The first new species was Coenonympha leander Esp., ssp. orientalis in this area with broad white bands in the underside hind-wing — very difficult, in fact, to distinguish from the numerous C. arcania L. that flew with it. The butterfly that we particularly sought soon made its appearance on the edge of the pine forest, Kirinia climene Esp. This fine Satyrid was known from Europe only as single examples, until discovered in this area by the Bretherton/Cribb expedition in 1982. We found only males but on one slope they were very common and all in beautifully fresh condition. Other interesting species were Erebia medusa D. & S. and finally two further species completely new to us both — Thersamonia thersamon Esp. (a very ragged female) and Pyrgus sidae Esp. with brilliant orange hind-wing markings. Heading north for Florina that afternoon we struck the twisting unmetalled road beyond Kastoria which winds between the western Vernon mountains and the Albanian border. The heat was intense, but it was 80 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.11.1990 interesting to see clouds of Aporia crataegi L. imbibing at Vipers Bugloss beside the road, sometimes a single spike carrying as many as 15 to 20 examples. Strangely enough they had this nectar source almost entirely to themselves. We reached our destination near Florina in the late afternoon and pitched our tent among the mountain beech forest. Birdsong awoke us in the morning, as if it were May in an English oak- wood. Cuckoos, usually silent in Britain by mid-June, called incessantly and warblers and thrushes sang with all the vigour of spring in their voices. We lost no time in exploring our surroundings and almost immediately encountered a much-desired butterfly Melitaea arduinna Esp. Males of this species were locally quite common but it was difficult to find them in perfect condition. Females were very much harder to come by and when we did they were even more ragged. A few good examples were taken however and CJL sleeved three females over a selection plantain and Centaureae, but no ova were forthcoming. The local race of Mellicta athalia Rott. was abundant and in fine order. There was the usual minor variation, but most were large and dark, with much plainer undersides than is usual in athalia — rather like an enormous M. parthenoides Kef. JMC-H took the first Colias balcanica Rebel — a male imbibing from purple vetch in the early morning sun. On reaching a rough clearing in the beech forest however, we soon encountered this splendid butterfly in numbers. They frequented rough slopes with young juniper growth, interspersed with a prostrate Cytisus species and clumps of red clover. The latter provided nectar for the brilliant orange males which floated around in the sun like autumn leaves. The larger females were less common but we found numbers of ova on the low-growing broom bushes. Some of these eggs were collected, but the young larvae failed to thrive on any of the Cytisus species offered to them on our return. During the morning we saw two of the rare white female f. rebeli. One sighting involved CJL in a -desperate pursuit over the rough and steep ground. This chase provided his companion with much amusement and himself with the reassurance that his coronary arteries were in good order — but no butterfly! A marshy field in this same area was rich in many species — particularly the Coppers, Palaeochrysophanus (hippothoe) candens H.-S., and Heodes virgaureae L. M. trivia D. & S., in a distinctive variegated form, floated over the Scabious heads and M. phoebe and M. cinxia were also abundant. An enormous female M. arduinna in excellent condition was also taken, seemingly quite isolated from others of this species. On returning to our car we encountered a German collector, Herr T. Arheilger, who was there with his wife. We stopped to talk for a few minutes but we desperately needed water and provisions and had to take our leave in order to get to Florina in time. A roadside spring provided us with the water and also one or two P. amanda, M. arduinna and a strange grey form of Carcharodus lavatherae Esp. which appears to replace the type in this area. Nearby, the flowering hillsides were seething with GREECE — 1988 81 butterflies in the afternoon sun. We recorded 13 species of fritillary alone, including freshly emerged Pandoriana pandora L. of which we had seen a few earlier on at the balcanica ground. We also found several H. alciphron Rott., a few P. sidae and two examples of the dark ‘‘obscura’’ form of Maculinea arion L. June 24th saw us driving up a rough road through the beech forests into the mountains north-west of Florina. At intervals the road deteriorated alarmingly, but it was so narrow that we could only go on up. We stopped as soon as the beeches thinned and on a small marshy plateau, overlooking a rocky precipice, we took our first Boloria graeca Stdgr. Several worn P. mnemosyne L. were floating around and a few Euphydryas aurinia Rott. — arare and local butterfly in Greece. Higher up we came out onto open hillsides with occasional lush marshes alongside streams descending the mountain. Coenonympha rhodopensis Elwes (a mountain species allied to C. tullia Mull), was common, along with many more B. graeca. Coenonympha leander (of the nominate form) were mostly very ragged, but the few specimens we took looked very different from the f. orientalis we had found in the northern Pindos a few days earlier. A little silvery blue flying along the road was Aricia anteros Frey., and at one spot we found half a dozen of this local butterfly. E. medusa was everywhere and one newly emerged E. ottomana H.-S. was taken. In the early afternoon it became overcast and we failed to reach the summit where an interesting race of EF. epiphron Knoch. flies. When exploring the balcanica locality the following morning we found this fine Clouded Yellow in even better numbers but already some of the males were going over. One or two Lycaeides idas magnagraeca Ver. were found and a single female anteros, P. pandora becoming more frequent on the patches of red clover. We spent the evening at a taverna beside Lake Prespa where we had arranged to meet Dirk van der Poorten who had turned up the previous day. This huge lake straddles the borders of three countries — Greece, Yugoslavia and Albania. It holds excellent populations of water birds such as brown pelicans and various species of heron. It was a rare pleasure to sit and watch the skeins of pelicans coming off the lake against the sunset and flighting over our heads to their night resting places in the marshes nearby. Lycaena dispar rutilus Werne. flies in the lakeside marshes, and Dirk kindly directed us to a locality which we surveyed the following morning. Though mist swirled around our camp site in the mountains above Florina it was warm and sunny when we descended to the lake. Lycaena dispar flew in small numbers and in mostly worn condition, but we found ova and young larvae on the Rumex hydrolapathum growing among the reeds. These resulted in imagines later in the summer; larger second-brood specimens than any others I have seen before — including those that ssp. batavus Obth. occasionally produces in captivity. 82 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.111.1990 That same day in the early afternoon we started the trek across Macedonia to Drama in the east of the region. Beyond Florina the road wound over barren hillsides and scattered townships, but there was little point in stopping anywhere as the weather was generally dull in the western hills and only improved as we approached the second city of Greece, Thessalonica. Forewarned about the difficulties of getting through the city we were fortunate in quickly finding the main road leading east to Serres and Kavala. This road leads past two large lakes and in the surrounding fields we frequently saw white storks. On the telegraph wires, large unfamiliar birds, the size of jackdaws but beautifully plumaged in turquoise and rust, were a species new to both of us — Rollers. We eventually found a camp site beside a river where frogs croaked loudly all night but we were far too tired to notice very much. The following day, 27th June, we reached Drama in the late morning and beyond the town took one of the roads towards the north. At the overspill from a stone water trough by the road clustered dozens of blues and a few skippers. Dominant were P. escheri dalmaetica, L. bellargus and P. argus but there were also a few large brilliant males of Plebicula dorylas D. & S. The skippers were nearly all S. orbifer but in a nearby dry gully C. lavatherae (typical coloration) and S. orientalis flitted over the baking hot rocks with some dashing males of M. daphnis. Here also Zerynthia cerisyi Godt. flew in abundance, the females egg-laying on shaded plants of Aristolochia clematitis which grew everywhere along the gully. As well as ova we found half-grown larvae of this species. The gully was also rich in other butterflies such as Chazara briseis L., Hipparchia aristaeus ssp. senthes Frhst, P. mannii Mayer, P. napiL., L. duponcheli, G. farinosa, A. aroaniensis, A. admetus; and one or two wary Libythea celtis Laich. Four Polygonia egea Cram. were taken flying around a short cliff. The intense afternoon heat eventually defeated CJL who took himself off to recover in what minimal shade there was. On the 28th we explored further along the roads penetrating the mountains. In one flowery strip of ground Brenthis hecate D. & S. flew in worn condition, as well as a rare butterfly in Greece — Aphantopus hyperantus LL. The scenery changed to sparsely vegetated hillsides shimmering in the heat. We had been directed to a specific area and after a short climb found ourselves on a rugged outcrop. Almost immediately one of the rarer butterflies we sought made an appearance: a little yellow Pierid, Elphinstonia charlonia Donzel, fluttering over the steep pavements of rock, and very awkward to net in such difficult terrain. They were not uncommon, but we probably missed as many as we netted. The other species was the fine Pseudochazara orestes de Prins and van der Poorten (discovered in 1980 by Jos Dils and Dirk van der Poorten and only known from this area). The butterfly was just emerging — males beautifully fresh and quite frequent, and JMC-H managed to find one female. We left our hotel in Drama the following morning but before heading south again, GREECE — 1988 83 sampled another area higher up in the mountains. As we drove up through the pine woods we passed large numbers of butterflies imbibing at damp spots on the banks. These were mainly the Whites P. mannii and P. napi but also H. aristaeus and several magnificent N. antiopa. In one clearing we found four of these fine cream-bordered creatures flying amongst the timber. Higher up among the grassy pastures we found C. rhodopensis in numbers, rather larger than those we had taken near Florina. At the point at which we stopped our car there was a continuous flight of male L. celtis. They slanted down the hillside in a north-easterly direction, crossing the road, and dropped down into the valley below. This apparent local migration continued intermittently all the time we were there. After sampling the oresfes ground in the early afternoon (where we failed to find more females) we started our southward trek, stopping that night at our frog-haunted camp site near Kavala. We continued our journey towards Athens the following day driving virtually without a break until the late afternoon. We had been told where to look for the little Blue Tarucus balkanicus Frey. near the town of Almiros, but as time was short we were reluctant to make the required detour and decided that only if the scrub covered hillsides approached the main road would we stop to look for it. Eventually a track appeared leading off the main road onto some rough ground and as we were tired and needed refreshment we turned into it. We bumped our way along this for twenty yards, stopped the car, and immediately saw the tiny tailed blues sitting on the mud beside the track. 7. balkanicus was abundant and in less than half-an-hour we had a small series of fine specimens. The females were more difficult to come by as they flew almost exclusively around, and settled on, the low bushes of Paliurus spina-christa. The twigs of this bush which bristle with vicious spines were reputedly used to make Christ’s crown of thorns. That night we stayed in Amphissa and the following morning visited Delphi. The early morning was spent surveying the archeological sites, among which flew polychloros and egea, but just before mid-day we drove east to Arachova and on up the steep road to Mount Parnassus. Among the pine trees of the plateau below Parnassus P. pandora was found settling on the tall road-side thistles alongside numbers of Jarissa and anthelea. P. daplidice L. was also fairly common and we took the last new species of our trip — Hyponephele lupinus Costa, a freshly-emerged male lurking among the trees. In the early hours of the following morning we arrived back at the International Airport (after a horrendous journey through night-time Athens) and were promptly informed of the inevitable flight delay. We thus had plenty of time to review our holiday, which in fourteen days had taken us on a complete circuit of mainland Greece. We had encountered 119 different butterfly species, and, thanks to Dr T.W. Tolman who provided us with detailed information on localities and emergence times, this list 84 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.11.1990 included nearly all those we had particularly hoped to see. We were both completely exhausted but unanimously agreed that it had been our most successful foray yet. Recent records of three Lepidoptera in Jersey Dr Julian Clarke, in Ent. Rec. 101: 130, reported the most recent capture of Thera cupressata Gey. (Cypress Carpet) in Britain. He also brought together all the published records of this species on the mainland and in the Channel Islands of Guernsey and Alderney, which has prompted me to complete the record with two observations from Jersey. R. Burrow, operating a light in his garden on the outskirts of St Helier, took one on 11.vi.1988, and a second one at the same place on 25.v.1989. A. Riley speculates (Ent. Rec. 99: 225) on the possibility that Thaumetopoea processionea (L.) (Oak Processionary moth) is established in Jersey, on the strength of three specimens including a female, taken at the one site in 1984 and ’85. Although not searched for exhaustively, no more were seen until a fourth one was taken at light, also by R. Burrow, a few miles away at Gorey on 22.vii.1989. On the following day, 23.vii.1989, R. Burrow took a fine specimen of Polyphaenis sericata (Esp.) also at light at Gorey. This is the first Jersey record of this European moth, although there were possible sightings of it at the same place in 1985 and ’86. This species was known to be established in Guernsey around the 1880s, and R.A. Austin (Ent. Rec. 99: 85) records its rediscovery in Guernsey in 1986. In view of its long-established place in the fauna of Guernsey I should like to support the suggestion of my colleagues in that island that the name Guernsey Underwing is an appropriate one for this species. — R. LONG, Société Jersiaise, 9 Pier Road, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. Usual second brood emergences in Cornwall 1989 Every year I keep a record of flight times of moths in Cornwall. I illustrate this by a method suggested to me by A.E.C. Aston. Each month is divided into four sections which are shaded in when a particular species is recorded in this period. This provides a quick visual reference. Thus in 1983 I found Perizoma alchemillata in late August (23.8.83) as well as in June and July, indicating that in Cornwall at least this species may be occasionally double- brooded. Of course, it can be difficult to differentiate between a prolonged emergence and bivoltinism. In the recording method used, over a long period the gap between the broods of bivoltine species is gradually filled by early or late emergences in particular years or by errant individuals found well outside their usual flight-time. On the Continent, many species have extended flight-times compared with flight-times in Britain and in hot summers in this country emergences may be similarly prolonged. NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 85 One of the best ways to tell if a species is bivoltine is whether there is a gap between records. Thus /daea dimidiata found in Downderry by A.E.C. Aston on 26th August 1989 was probably a late specimen of a single brood, as this moth regularly occurs from June onwards and I have caught this species as late as 11th September before (in 1984). Similarly, a very fresh Philudoria potatoria caught on 29th August was certainly a late specimen in a period of extended emergence, as was a fresh Scopula imitaria caught on Sth September. Agrotis exclamationis was still flying in large numbers in early September, including some very fresh moths. I have found this moth in Cornwall from early May through to late October without a noticeable gap in the flight period. In some years it may well have two overlapping broods. It is likely that Perizoma affinitata was partially double-brooded in 1989. This species usually flies from early May to late July but I saw it near Truro on 24th and 28th August after a gap of exactly one month since the previous sighting. A single fresh Spilosoma luteum caught on 28th August was flying some five weeks later than I have previously found it in Cornwall. With a gap of eight weeks between sightings in 1989, this was almost certainly a second brood specimen. One species that was almost certainly double-brooded in Cornwall in 1989 was Scopula immutata. This species, which can be bivoltine in captivity, is usually to be found in June and July. I found fresh specimens at mv light near Rame Head on 27th August and near Truro on 28th August. These sightings were not unexpected considering the very hot summer of 1989. — ADRIAN SPALDING, Tregarne, Cusgarne, Truro, Cornwall. A wasp and a praying mantis In September 1985, on the Greek island of Poros in the western Aegean, I witnessed a titanic battle between a large wasp (Scolia sp.?) and the praying mantis Jris oratoria. My attention was drawn to the wasp buzzing around a low bush in an erratic manner, as it soon transpired, trying to avoid the clutches of the mantis. The sparring continued for several minutes until the mantis caught the wasp between its front legs. Both insects tried for about a minute to immobilise the other, until the wasp was able to sting the mantis between its eyes and thus pull free. The wasp then proceeded to bite through the elongated thorax of the mantis and carry off the head, presumably to the nest. The mantis continued to move actively, esepecially raising and lowering its wings, revealing the distinctive under-pattern. After several minutes a wasp, presumably the same individual, returned and eventually managed to bite through the abdomen, carrying away the front portion and returning after a few minutes for the rear section of the abdomen. In total, the encounter I observed lasted some twelve minutes: 86 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.i11.1990 presumably the rewards were sufficient to justify the considerable energy expenditure and risk to life. — C. GIBSON, Nature Conservancy Council, All Saints House, Colchester, Essex CO1 1UG. Hazards of butterfly collecting — Ecuador, 1987 In 1987 I decided to take a personal look at the butterflies of the Neo- tropical Region for the first time. I had a month available so the choice had to be a single country that was relatively accessible, not too complicated or dangerous, and representative of the main tropical fauna as well as containing elements of the montane zone with its clear Holarctic affinities. Ecuador was the choice, and a very good one it turned out to be. Two or three words of Spanish went a long way — two or three dollars went even further. Kindness and helpfulness were everywhere, and in most places near good butterfly spots in the Amazon catchment area you could not live more expensively than for three dollars a day even if you wanted to. Before descending from Quito, the charming colonial centre of which is on the list of World Heritage Sites, I wanted to see the montane fauna of the Cotopaxi volcano (5,900 m with eternal snow and breathtakingly beautiful). It should be possible for me to get the car as high as 4,600 m. The butterfly fauna at levels above 3,500 m is far from rich, but it is very interesting. Black Satyrids fly about looking for all the world like Alpine Erebia, and like their cousins species have individual niches in the varied grassland types. The Colias are just like those of the high Himalaya in both habitus and habits. Trying to collect a good series in the rarified air of 4,000 m is no joke. What was that Pierid? Ah, yes, a Tatochila, very close in all respects to the Alpine Ponchia callidice, and just as difficult to catch. I decided to see how high up the mountain I could see a butterfly and spurred on my brand new Chevrolet pick-up as far is it would. It finally stalled, even in first gear. I let it roll back till it stood still across the mountain road. The altitude was 4,500 m. To collect any butterflies on a steep mountain side at this height proved impossible. I decided to try lower down in more clement terrain. The car restarted willingly enough. I put it in first, and suddenly had a wholly detached gearstick in my hand. This was no joke — the nearest ranger post was 20 km away, there were no other people, and the clouds would doubtless close in soon, bringing temperatures down below freezing. I stuck the stick back in its hole and fiddled about, but there was no support. Somehow I managed to get the car into reverse. This was no great help, but if I could get it in reverse, finding second gear should almost certainly be possible. This proved to be the case, once some lateral thinking had determined that you had physically to push the thing in the gearbox the opposite way of the normal stick movement. Gingerly I reached the rangers: Ought there to be oil in the part of the gearbox that was visible? Probably not? Eventually the several hundred NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 87 kilometres to Quito were accomplished in second gear, descending from 4,500 m to 1,200 m and back up to 3000. I was reissued with a clapped out VW Beetle that had 80,000 km on the clock — it had been thoroughly tested in action (and worked well for the rest of my trip). I was ready to face the more pleasant hazards of the Amazonia. How high are butterflies found in the mountains of the tropics? Certainly quite a lot higher than I saw them on Cotopaxi. The Bolivian Piercolias huanaco is reputed to have been collected at 5,800 metres, and in the Himalayas Parnassius acco has a few permanent colonies at the same level. Species of Neotropical Phulia, tiny Pierids, are regularly collected at 5,000 m and in the Himalayas the very similar Baltia butleri occurs to at least 5,300 m. I wish anyone wanting to collect them the very best of luck, but I am sure that some day we shall have a record of the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) hilltopping on Mt. Everest.— TORBEN B. LARSEN, 358 Coldharbour Lane, London SW9 8PL. Eupithecia tripunctaria H.-S. (Lep.: Geometridae) — a partial second brood In August 1986 I obtained a few ova from a female ¢ripunctaria and found wild larvae on the flowers of wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris). The larvae pupated in the autumn and the moths emerged in May 1987. In May 1989 I obtained a few ova from a female fripunctaria and fed the resulting larva on the flowers of hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) and elder (Sambucus nigra). They pupated a few weeks later but I had only three pupae. One hatched on 31.7.89 and the remaining two pupae showed no signs of development of the moth. One of them died in the autumn and I now have the one remaining pupa which is alive. I anticipate that it will hatch in May 1990. Therefore, tripunctaria has a partial second brood. It seems to me that this explains the current difficulties over voltinism which have been discussed in recent articles. All the above moths and larvae were from Abbotskerswell, Devon.— Dr B.P. HENWooD, 4 The Paddocks, Abbotskerswell, Newton Abbot, Devon. Double-brooded Eupithecia tripunctaria Herrich-Schaeffer (Lep.: Geometridae) The authors of several recent notes on Eupithecia tripunctaria Herrich- Schaeffer (B.K. West antea 101: 57; G.M. Haggett antea 101: 184; A.M. Emmet antea 101: 185 and E.C.L. Simson antea 101: 278) appear to have overlooked my two notes in the Entomologist’s Gazette (Ent. Gaz. 35: 76 and ibid. 36: 104). In the first I stated that I had reared E. tripunctaria from larvae on elder flowers several times, but that adults had always emerged the following spring. I speculated that the earliest hatching May females might lay their eggs on Anthriscus, the only umbellifer commonly available 88 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.111. 1990 to flower and seed feeding larvae at that time, whereas those laying later might prefer elder, Heracleum or Angelica. In my second paper I noted that out of ten larvae obtained from elderflowers in late June 1984, I obtained eight pupae from which three moths emerged at the end of July, while the rest lay over until 1985. This of course renders my earlier hypothesis invalid; however Haggett did rear larvae on Anthriscus, but has anyone ever found larvae on Anthriscus in the wild? Thus it is clear that at least a proportion of May-June females lay eggs on elder which produce pupae which may hatch in July-August or lie over until the following spring. There are still two perplexing questions: whereas I find larvae on elder annually in modest numbers, Haggett only did so in 1978. I shall not attempt to answer this. The second question concerns the failure of both Haggett and myself (before 1984) to rear second brood adults from early summer larvae. While I cannot answer this entirely satisfactorily, I can provide a few ideas which may merit further investigation. When making elderflower wine (this being the circumstance under which I find my larvae), I wait until the flower heads are beginning to go over, at which time the flowers strip most readily from their stalks. By this time some of the larvae are full-grown and pupate very soon afterwards. It is quite possible that many larvae may have reached this stage and left the plants before I pick my flowers, and such early larvae would be more likely to produce adults in the same season. My pre-1984 larva samples were of very small numbers, and may not have been looked after very well (which would retard them). In order to produce equal numbers of July and May adults, it would be necessary, in the wild, for the number of pupae lying over to be several times greater than those producing the second brood. This is due to the greater length of time spent in the pupal stage, and the difference could be further increased by the intervention of winter. On this basis any random sample of larvae is likely to contain a high proportion of potential overwinterers. Finally, the proportion of moths emerging in the same season is doubtless greatly influenced by the mid-summer temperatures; this is reflected in the varying numbers appearing in summer in different years.— M.F.V. CORLEY, Pucketty Farm Cottage, Faringdon, Oxon SN7 8JP. Scydmaenus rufus Mill. & Kunze (Col.: Scydmaenidae) apparently new to Kent. It is somewhat remarkable that no Kent record appears to exist for this scarce south-eastern species; at least, I have been unable to trace one. I was interested, therefore, to come upon a specimen under bark of a fallen oak branch in the woods at Chislehurst, W. Kent, on the southern fringe of Greater London (12.x.89). Other beetles present under the bark were Carpophilus sexpustulatus F. in plenty and a few Orthoperus mundus Matth. NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 89 S. rufus is principally a Surrey insect, known to me from no less than eight localities in the county: Richmond Park, Mickleham, Shirley, Croydon, Guildford, Leatherhead, Epsom and Wisley Common. Else- where it is recorded from Hurst Green, E. Sussex; Enfield and Hendon, Middx.; Watford, Herts.; and Windsor, Berks. For its two distinct types of habitat see Owen, 1986, Ent. Rec. 98: 78-9; Allen, ibid. 211-2— A.A. ALLEN, 49 Montcalm Road, Charlton, London SE7 8QG. Rheumaptera hastata ssp. hastata Linn. (Lep.: Geometridae): A welcome return in Herefordshire. On the 6th September 1986, I found a spinning in birch leaves in Haugh Wood, Woolhope. Constructed into a neat pyramid by three leaves, the leaves were fenestrated from within by a dark grey geometrid larva. I was almost certain that this could only be Rheumaptera hastata Linn., a species long since disappeared from the county. The attractive Argent and Sable duly emerged the following spring on 22.5.1987. The species is recorded from this site up to 1968, after which it has mysteriously disappeared for eighteen years. I visited Queens Wood, Kempley on 28.5.1987 and was delighted to see two moths flying along the woodland rides in morning sunshine, a new site to me for this species. Several spinnings in birch containing larvae were spotted later the same year in August and September. On 7.6.1987 a single moth was seen flying erratically over mixed coppice with birch at Eastnor, while the final irony was to see one sitting on my own front door on 5.6.1987. Curiously I have failed to see moths or larvae in 1988 in any of the localities mentioned. I have no data for the present status for ssp. hastata in England except a feeling that it has drastically declined or disappeared from many of its old sites. The preferred larval feeding place in the Herefordshire sites have been smaller regenerative or younger coppice birch rather than taller trees. It is to be hoped that the new resurgent interest in coppice management may see an improvement in the status of this attractive moth.— Dr M.W. HARPER, Cherry Orchard, Bullen, Ledbury, Hereford. The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta L. — Lep.: Nymphalidae) attracted to a lighted window. The evening of 26th July 1989 was warm and sticky, with a high level of entomological activity. At around midnight I was observing moths attracted to my lighted kitchen window, when an insect struck the window quite hard — three times. On opening the door to investigate, a Red Admiral flew in, across the kitchen and into the lounge, where it rested on a door, wings open. This species has been noted at light before, but the usual explanation 90 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.111. 1990 offered is that the butterfly was disturbed by the presence of an mv light being set up — the usual circumstances when atalanta is recorded at night. No such explanation seems appropriate here, and it seems the butterfly was flying vigorously at night.— JAN KORYSZKO, 3 Dudley Place, Meir, Stoke- on-Trent, Staffordshire. Late appearance of Pieris brassicae L. — the Large White butterfly. Around midday on 30th October, in bright sunshine, I saw in the garden of my home a single specimen of Pieris brassicae flying along a stretch of Rhododendron hedge. It was an exceptionally warm day for late October following the long hot dry summer and the butterfly could have been an example of a partial third brood.— A.C.R. REDGRAVE, 5 Holmewood Ridge, Langton Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Eupithecia abietaria Goeze, the Cloaked Pug (Lep.: Geometridae), in N.W. Hants. A fresh specimen of a species unfamiliar to me entered my Robinson mv trap, situated in my garden at Burghclere (v.c.12), on the night of 29/30th May 1989. Mr B.R. Baker, lately of the Reading Museum kindly determined the species as male Eupithecia abietaria. The relatively early date of appearance of this species on the wing is presumably due to the unusually advanced seasons in the first half of 1989. There is no clear clue as to the origin of the specimen. There are isolated, mature spruce trees in the neighbourhood. There is also a plantation some 300 yards away with alternate rows of Scots pine and Norway spruce. Most of the latter trees are dead or dying, but there are scattered specimens of spruce that have developed sufficiently to bear a fair crop of cones. The specimen has been retained for the Reading Museum.— G.G. EASTWICK-FIELD, Little Earlstone, Burghclere, Newbury, Berks. The greenhouse effect? Occurrence of Cosmia pyralina D. & S. (Lep.: Noctuidae) in Yorkshire. A male Cosmia pyralina (Lunar-spotted Pinion) was taken at mv by Ms Denise Hewitt at Bond Ing, Shadwell, N.E. Leeds on the night of 2/3rd August 1989. This is the second record for Yorkshire and the first for v.c.64. It was previously taken near Scarborough in 1983 (Sutton & Beaumont, 1989 Butterflies and Moths of Yorkshire: Distribution and Conservation. Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union. 367pp.), Pyralina is not noted aS a migrant and appears to be another of the growing band of residents of more southern counties (these are listed among other newcomers in Sutton & Beaumont, 1989) which seem to be moving north. This list of newcomers is matched by another list of species which are spreading steadily north within Yorkshire, of which Mimas tiliae (the Lime Hawk-moth) is a NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 91 prominent example. When Yorkshire becomes a Home County, what will happen further south? I am grateful to Mr Bernard Skinner for determining the somewhat worn specimen.— Dr S.L. SUTTON, Dept. of Pure and Applied Biology, Leeds University, Leeds LS29 JT. The Small Wainscot, Photedes pygmina Haworth (Lep.: Noctuidae) — In what stage does it overwinter? According to the account of the life history of Photedes pygmina in The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland 10, it overwinters as a larva. The reference given is Forster, W. and Wohlfahrt, T.A. 1963-1971 Die Schmetterlinge Mitteleuropas, 4: 329pp; 32 pls. Stuttgart. On 23rd September 1982 a female P. pygmina which I had taken at Colyton, Devon, laid nine white ova. They did not hatch in the autumn and so I kept checking them from time to time through the winter. The first ovum hatched sometime between 30th January and 12th February 1983 and the larva was still alive when I found it on the latter date. On 22nd February two more hatched, followed by a fourth within the next few days. Two of the larvae buried into a Carex leaf which I had provided but they died a few days later. It would seem to me that in this country P. pygmina overwinters as an ovum. I wonder whether anyone else has made the same or a different observation.— Dr. B.P. HENwWoobD, 4 The Paddocks, Abbotskerswell, Newton Abbot, Devon. Nordeuropas Prydvinger by Eivind Palm, Danmarks Dyreliv Bind 4. — 248 pp., 8 col. plates. Fauna Boger, 1989. DKr.420 (c. £37). This is the latest book in a series about the Danish fauna which covers the Oecophoridae (Lepidoptera). Is also boasts being the sixth book written by Eivind Palm in recent years. Most of the text is in Danish. It begins with some introductory chapters covering the morphology, biology, distribution, species of economic importance, classification etc. There is then a key to the subfamilies. Each subfamily’s treatment begins with a key to genera, these are well-illustrated with line drawings of head and antenna. There is no key to species, but in the large genera Agonopterix and Depressaria there is a key to species groups. Within each genus or species group there are illustrations of genitalia or adult and other features. Each species is accompanied by a distribution map covering Scandinavia, sometimes with a more detailed map of Denmark. At the end of each species’ description is a very brief summary in English, which describes the distribution, habitat and habits. Towards the end of the book are eight colour plates depicting all the species twice natural size. These plates have been produced from photographs taken by David Wilson. Ali known British species are shown, including those which are not found in Scandinavia. 92 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.111. 1990 The systematic order follows Karsten Schnack’s Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of Denmark which is more or less in the reverse order of the latest British checklists. It also includes Ethmiinae and Stathmopoda. The names agree with those in use in the British checklist, except that albipunctella (D. & S.) is still used for aegopodiella (Hb.), also lipsiella (D. & S.), which Bradley cites as a nomen dubium is used for phryganella (Hb.). There has been a considerable advance in the knowledge of this group in recent years, with several additions to the British list. It is helpful to find all these described together, albeit in Danish, with illustrations of their genitalia as well as adults. Some of the genitalia illustrations are of poor quality because they are photographs — in some cases of overstained preparations. In almost no case are the socii or uncus lobes of the males neatly arranged. The name ‘“‘clasper’’ is used for ‘“‘cuiller’’ but the diagrams in the morphology section leave no cause for confusion. Black and white photographs of the adults which are included seem rather superfluous in view of the provision of full colour ones in the plates. There are some typographical errors which suggest undue haste in the production, e.g. Parocystola and oliviella are consistently mis-spelt Paracystola and olivella, and Carcina appears as Carsina in the key. I am unable to say whether or not errors abound in the Danish text. The line drawings of specimens in their natural posture are of poor quality, in contrast with the morphological drawings. The legend to the colour plates gives the data for each specimen illustrated, which is helpful, but it is a pity it does not refer to the page number of the species’ description. A few of the specimens chosen for illustration are in poor condition for photographing and the colour of some of the plates is just a little cold. Despite these shortcomings a book with full colour illustrations of a group of microlepidoptera is always welcome. It includes nine species on the British list which were not illustrated in the papers by S.N.A. Jacobs in the Proceedings of the South London Entomological & Natural History Society, subsequently republished in J/lustrated Papers on British Microlepidoptera. The Danish text will put off a number of would-be users, but it will still be found a valuable reference book on the group. David Agassiz Die Raupen der Schmetterlinge Europas by Arnold Spuler. 38pp. 60 coloured plates. Reprint by Apollo Books (Lundbyvej 36, DK.5700 Svendborg, Denmark) 1989. Price DKr 780 (about £70). Books depicting realistic illustrations of the larvae of the macrolepidoptera have always been in great demand — witness the extraordinary price commanded by Buckler’s Larvae of the British butterflies and moths. Whilst the number of books devoted to the British fauna is rather limited, there are several more European volumes on larvae, which include most of the British species. It is a sad fact that many of the published works on 6 OBITUARY 93 larvae sport unrecognisable insects, often resting on “‘artistic’’ foodplants. One of the best works on the larva of European butterflies and moths was Ernst Hofmann’s Die Raupen der Gross-Schmetterlinge Europas, published in 1893. The text was extensive, and the plates first class. When Arnold Spuler produced his volume on the larvae of European Lepidoptera, he drew extensively on Hofmann’s work. Although Spuler’s text omitted the detailed descriptions of each species and was confined to a general treatment of early stages and breeding techniques (using many of the original line drawings), all SO of Hofmann’s plates were reproduced — 49 of larvae and one of eggs. He also added a further ten plates of larvae not figured in Hofmann, so in all there were more than 2,000 drawings, depicting 1,535 species. It is the reprint of this work that is considered here. Reviewing a reprint is a rather difficult task — one can comment only on the usefulness of the original work, and the fidelity of the reproduction. Of its usefulness there can be no doubt — the larvae are recognisable, and the coverage extensive. As to the fidelity of reproduction, the reviewer, not possessing a copy of Spuler, compared the plates with those in his copy of Hofmann and was marginally irritated to find that the Apollo reprint had slightly better plates than his original! The quality of reproduction can only be described as excellent, a worthy follow-up to Apollo’s first-class reprint of Culot’s Noctuelles et Géomeétres d’Europe. Paul Sokoloff OBITUARY Richard Edward Montague Pilcher Ma, MB, BCh, FRCS, MRCS, LRCP, FRES. Rick Pilcher died on 30th December 1989, aged 86 years. Born of a well- known Boston family, he won a classics scholarship to St John’s Cambridge but chose also to read medicine there before studying medicine further at St Thomas’ London. After a spell at Nottingham hospital he joined his father’s practice in South Lincs but soon went on to study surgery at Edinburgh, then to return to Boston (Lincolnshire) as surgeon and finally Consultant Surgeon Emeritus at Pilgrim Hospital which he had influenced so greatly in its inception. His long period in post at Boston spanned four decades of ministration in a large rural area of close-knit communities. So for that long era there were few cases of surgery that did not come under his care, and it is easy to appreciate that such was his popularity with all sectors of society that dockers and labourers might stop him in the street and demonstrate their thanks to his skills. His early days were spent in boats, Boston trawlers, harbour smacks or punts on fen or waterway. He became expert at sea-fishing as well as fresh- water and fly; he was a keen shot over coastal waters, marshes and flats, experiencing the long wait, the freezing cold and waist-deep mud necessary before intercepting geese. His intimate knowledge of the Lincs coast, its tides, flats and wildlife derived from a company of last-century wildfowlers 94 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.ii1. 1990 and marshmen. Years later he was to combine that experience with his other talents to conduct original research into the causes of death of sea- birds; to do this he walked the extent of the Lincs foreshore from Boston Haven to Wainfleet, collecting bird corpses, and then humped them to pre- arranged collecting points, finally carrying out autopsies at his home. His great contribution to the conservation of ducks and geese was dramatically triggered by the urgent need to personally rescue the stock of world endangered species established not far from him by Sir Peter Scott, already a friend of long standing. These birds he bred in specially constructed ponds in his Boston garden, and they remained a principal interest until retirement. He was for many years a member of the Council of the Wildfowl Trust and latterly its Trustee, and his activities took him to lands across the North Sea where similar interests in wildfowl protection were practised. He was the joint author of a charming publication The History of Borough Fen Decoy 1982 which captures the freshness and mystery of fenland wildlife and gives a penetrating history of Fens drain- age. Again his versatility was in demand as one of few who could work a dog to move ducks along that decoy when the film history was made. His love of birds was not of course confined to waterfowl, and one of his garden delights was the acrobatics of Spotted flycatchers who reared their young in his own nestboxes. And his sharp ear for bird songs accounted for a good many local records. Mammals also took his interest, his work on skull identification of the shrews and voles earning him much respect. Conservation of birds led to protection of the broader environment and active management on committees of the Lincs and S. Humberside Trust for Nature Conservation. His own part in conserving the beautiful meadows and valleys of South Thoresby is still too little known to local residents. The rampant destruction in the name of Agriculture of so much of Lincolnshire greatly saddened him although farmers remained amongst his closest friends. Throughout a long life he collected Lepidoptera but extensively only from the end of the second World War when he began visits to Scotland that were to kindle his affection for the Western Isles and for Islay in particular. It was now that he took up his association with men of the day like Demuth and Quibell, but his lowland activities were mostly within motoring distance of Boston, so he was often at Monks Wood, Warboys, Wicken, Castor Hanglands and the Brecks. All the while he worked his own county fauna, and was concentrating on it when I joined him to rediscover species long lost sight of there, and add quite new ones such as Photedes extrema. The South Lincs area lies on a migration route that produces records rather different from the better-known southern ones, with Convolvulus Hawk, Bedstraw Hawk and Camberwell Beauty the most spectacular. It was Rick who first put into practice the idea of growing large beds of Nicotiana — not the fancy coloured plants he would say, only the fragrant white — of which he would set a border the length of a cricket OBITUARY 95 pitch, and so produce convol/vuli annually; he once when dressed for dinner had the spectacle of convolvuli probing at his starched white dickey front! The 1973 invasion there of galii gave him enormous pleasure in locating larvae on willow-herb hard by the shore along his beloved coastline. All who have sought larvae of Eupithecia extensaria will have savoured the rare beauty of sunlit coast, cries of sea-birds and haunting odour of sea wormwood, and I treasure the occasion I shared at Gibraltar Point with Rick and his wife Moira on just such a day. But Rick became nationaily known for his discovery in Lincs of the Marsh moth Athetis pallustris. First he trapped it in his garden, then in the adjoining meadows followed by systematic sampling of the coastal marshes until he found it most plentifully on the sand-dunes. This was at a time when the moth had become difficult to find in its fen stations, so twitchers focussed on the Lincs coast and their batteries of mv traps revealed scores where once a single fen moth had been a prize. Spaelotis ravida was another local speciality that drew collectors from all over Britain and Austin Richardson took his specimens from curtains and between books in his host’s home when rain prevented outdoor work. Recent years saw Rick trapping the year round in a local wood that was to produce one Cloaked Pug and much Latin commentary between him and his classicist colleague farmer Bill Haugh. His card-indexed boxes of county records have been left to the Lincs Trust and his insects to the National Collections at South Kensington where the extensive Lincs material will be especially valuable, containing butterflies now absent from the county such as palaemon, coridon and the fritillaries. Moira Pilcher died ten years before Rick when he was in the first stages of the cancers that troubled him for the rest of his life. They leave two daughters and a son, whom we were privileged to join to pay tribute tosurgeon, wildfowler, conservationist and lepidopterist at South Thorseby church on 8th January 1990. G.M. HAGGETT 100 YEARS AGO SPECIES DOUBLE-BROODED IN 1889.— The fine weather in May and June brought out the spring moths earlier than usual, and as a consequence of continued fine weather for several weeks, many early species produced a second brood remarkably early in the season, and ordinarily single-brooded species have had a partial second brood. The second brood (I presume this was so) of Cidaria silaceata was getting worn near Yarmouth (I. of W.) at the end of July and beginning of August, as also was that of Ephyra porata. On the 3lst of August, I found near Strood in Kent, fine specimens of Metrocampa margaritata quite recently emerged. The second brood of Platyptilia gonodactyla was out in the middle of August, and continued to 96 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 25.iii. 1990 emerge up to the end of September. Of Melanippe galiata | took the second brood during the last two days of July at Freshwater, and Aspilates citraria began to appear about the same time. A second brood of Eubolia lineolata* was out at Deal on the 6th of July.—J.W. TUTT, Westcombe Hill, S.E. (* = Phibalapteryx virgata) On Tuesday and Wednesday, April 22nd and 23rd, Mr Howard Vaughan’s collection of British Macro-lepidoptera was sold. The varieties fetched high prices, three C. edusa vars. being bought one after the other for £10 each, and a fourth for £10.10s.; the latter price was also paid for a var. of A. aglaia (damaged); £4 for a var. of A. paphia; £9.10s. for two vars. of V. io; the same for a var. of V. atalanta, and £10 for a var. of cardui; £6.10s. was paid for a var. of C. dispar #, whilst the Lycaenidae produced from 2 to 4 guineas per lot; a series of P. piniperda vars. produced £2.10s.; a series of T. gothica £2.15s.; a series of E. lutulenta and E. viminalis combined, £2.5s., a series of E. lutulenta, £2; whilst a var. of C. nupta brought £4. Many others were worthy of notice, but the sale was remarkable for the fact that almost all the high prices were for varieties; nor it this to be wondered at, when one considers that it is one of the scientific branches of our subject which is yet untouched, unknown, and not understood even by the most intelligent of our workers. THE PROFESSOR HERING MEMORIAL RESEARCH FUND The British Entomological and Natural History Society announces that awards may be made from this Fund for the promotion of entomological research with particular emphasis on: (a) Leaf-miners (b) Diptera, particularly Tephritidae and Agromyzidae (c) Lepidoptera, particularly Microlepidoptera (d) General entomology in the above order of preference having regard to the suitability of candidates and the plan of work proposed. Awards may be made to assist travelling and other expenses necessary to fieldwork, for the study of collections, for attendance at conferences, or, exceptionally, for the costs of publication of finished work. In total they are unlikely to exceed £600 in 1990/91. Applicants should send a statement, if possible in sextuple, of their qualifications, of their plan of work and of the precise objects and amount for which an award is sought, to Dr M.J. Scoble, Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, as soon as.possible and not later than 30th September 1990. Continued from back cover Scydmaenus rufus Mull. & Kunze. (Col.: Scymaenidae) ai: new to Kent. A.A. Allen . : : Rhueumaptera hastata Wastale ee (ep: ‘Geometridae —a ‘welconie nie © Herefordshire. M.W. Harper . The Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta L.) ntrecd toa wiehied window: J. Koryszko . Late appearance of Biers Brassicae i. the LANES White puteently: A. C. R. Rederaver Eupithecia abietaria Goeze., the Cloaked Pug (Lep.: Geometridae) in N.W. Hants. G.G.Eastwick-Field . The greenhouse effect? Occurrence a Casini praia D. & S. (hep: Nociiidac) in Yorkshire. S.L. Sutton The Small Wainscot, Photedes pygmina Haw. (ene iNocuudteys in what Sage does it overwinter? B.P. Henwood Se ae ee ot ee a Current literature. Sn Obituary: R.E.M. Pilcher . 100 years ago . FOR SALE 28-drawer Kendrew cabinet. Full details Ent. Rec. 101, issue 9/10. £1,450. Buyer collects. Chestfield, Kent. 022-779 2286. WANTED Copy of Illustrated papers on British microlepidoptera. Offers to K. Cooper, Abbeywood House, Newstead Abbey Park, Hucknall, Notts NG15S 8GD. WANTED Macrolepidoptera records for Dungeness, including migrants and species not known to breed on the peninsula. I hope to publish a review of status of resident and immigrant species, and all records will be acknowledged. SEAN CLANCY, Delhi Cottage, Dungeness, Romney Marsh, Kent TN29 9NE. 88 89 89 90 90 90 91 91-93 93 95 THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD AND JOURNAL OF VARIATION (Founded by J.W. TUTT on 15th April 1890) Contents A review of the phenology of Eupithecia tripunctaria Herrich-Schaffer, the White- spotted Pug (Lep.: Geometridae). A.M. Riley and G.M. Prior . : 49 The occurrence of the sub-family Aseminae (Col.: Cerambycidae) in the Brien Isles. R.R. Uhthoff-Kaufmann. ; 55 The status of Yponomeuta evonymella L. and y. Foren Hiibn. (ice. Sipe meutidae) in southern England. A.M. Emmet . ; : 65 Essex Emerald moth, Thetida smaragdaria maritima Prout (eps: - Geometndaese — an update. P. Waring. : 7A Collecting notes 1989. M.D. Bryan 75 Around Greece in fourteen days — 1988. C. al: Wacken” 77 Notes and Observations The 5-spot ladybird in Warwickshire. M.E.N. Majerus . : 64 Record of Gyrinus minutus (Col.: Gyrinidae) from Cumbria. R. Ww. i Read 64 Ethmia terminella Fletch. (Lep.: Oecophoridae. Ethmiinae) in Essex. B. Goodey. 69 A second brood of the Dotted Footman, Pelosia muscerda Hufn. eS Arctiidae) in 1989. §.M. Jackson . 69 Some notable migrants taken in the Dunipeness area, Keni. during 1989. S.P. Clancy . ; 69 Presumed occurrence ares peoods of Lepidopterai in 1989. S. iP ‘Clans 70 Epiphyas postvittana (Walk.) (Lep.: Tortricidae) in Leicestershire. J. McPhail 73 Oak Eggar moth — High flier of upwardly mobile climber? G.M. Haggett. 74 Unusual abundance of the Holly Blue, Celestrina a L. (Lep.: Lycaenidae) in 1989 in parts of Sussex. R.C. Dening . 74 Return of the White-letter Hairstreak. M.S. Haney : : 74 Abundance of Aporophyla nigra Haw. (Lep.: Noctuidae) in Oxfordshie. D.F. Owen . SF teh eee ee 76 Recent records of three epidepteran in 1a R. one 84 Unusual second brood emergences in Cornwall, 1989. A. Spaliine 84 A wasp andapraying mantis.C. Gibson . . 86 Hazards of butterfly collecting — Ecuador, 1987. T. B. Taisen 86 Eupithecia tripunctaria H.-S. (Lep.: Geometridae) — a partial second broods B.P. Henwood . 87 Double-brooded Enomccn Gipuneiane H. S. (ese Geomeniaey M.F.V. Corley . : MR ice ae ie sae Bt 88 (Continued overleaf) SPECIAL NOTICE. The Editor would be willing to consider the purchase of a limited number of back issues. Printed in England by Cravitz Printing Company Limited, 1 Tower Hill, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4TA. Tel: 0277-224610. SS CENTENNIAL VOLUME ss | Nos 9—6 Mi / LIBRARY SL 0.2 1990 AARVARD a1 Y JOURNAL OF VARIATION. EDITED BY Poe, SOOKROLOEFE Eres: MAY/JUNE 1990 ISSN 0013-3916 s ‘ cine THE ENTOMOLOGIST’ RECORD AND JOURNAL OF VARIATION Editor P.A. SOKOLOFF M.:Sc., C.Biol., M.1.Biol., F.R.E.S. 4 Steep Close, Green Street Green, Orpington, Kent BR6 6DS Editorial Panel A.A. Allen B.Sc., A.R.C.S. P.J. Chandler B.Sc., F.R.E.S. N. Birkett M.A., M.B. C.A. Collingwood B.Sc., F.R.E.S. E.S. Bradford A.M. Emmet M.B.E., T.D., F.R.E.S. J.D. Bradley Ph.D., F.R.E.S. C.32 Luckens: M:B:, ChB.) Dake ores J.M. Chalmers-HuntF.R.E:S. B. Skinner Registrar C.C..Penney F.R.E.S. 109 Waveney Drive, Springfield, Chelmsford, Essex CMI 5QA Hon. Treasurer P.J. Johnson B.A., A.C.A. 31 Oakdene Road, Brockham, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7JV WHERE TO WRITE EDITOR: All material for publication and books for review REGISTRAR: Changes of address and non-arrival of the Journal HON. TREASURER: Subscriptions, advertisements and subscribers’ notices Notes for Contributors It would greatly help the Editor if material submitted for publication were typed and double spaced. Two copies are preferred. Please DO NOT use block capitals and DO NOT underline anything except scientific names. Word-processed text should not use italic, bold or compressed typeface. References quoted within the text can be abbreviated (eg Ent. Rec.), but those collected at the end of a paper should follow the standard World List abbreviations (eg Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var.). When in doubt try to follow the style and format of material in a current issue of the Record. Illustrations must be the original (not a photocopy) without legend which should be typed on a separate copy. Photographs should be glossy, positive prints. Authors of long papers, or submit- ting valuable originals are advised to contact the Editor first. Contributors are requested not to send us notes or articles which they are sending to other magazines. Whilst all reasonable care is taken of manuscripts, illustrations etc, the Editor and his staff can- not hold themselves responsible for any loss or damage. Readers are respectfully advised that the publication of material in this Journal does not imply that the views and opinions expressed therein are shared by the Editor, the Editorial Board or the publisher. FORAGING IN FORMICA FUSCA 97 SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE FORAGING BEHAVIOUR OF FORMICA FUSCA LINNE, AND SUCCESSFUL DEFENCE AGAINST FORMICA SANGUINEA LATREILLE (HYM.) N. BLACKER Chemistry Dept., University of Warwick, Coventry. THESE notes are based on observations of two colonies of Formica fusca in the author’s garden from 1979 - 1988. Both colonies are quite large, each with at least several hundred workers. They are of local origin and, therefore, have no previous experience of Formica sanguinea, which does not occur in East Anglia. Formica sanguinea was introduced in 1984. Other species present include several Myrmica spp, Leptothorax acervorum, L. interruptus, Tetra- morium caespitum, Tapinoma erraticum, and Lasius niger. General foraging behaviour of Formica fusca Formica fusca is a widespread and often abundant species, and this, combined with its fairly large size, has long made it a convenient ant for study. It is alert and fast-moving, with considerable individual initiative. It usually forages singly, taking a wide variety of prey and carrion. It will sometimes tend aphids, but also milks less strongly guarded herds belonging to other species, such as Lasius niger, using its agility to avoid capture. Territorial knowledge In addition to being an alert forager, this species appears to have a detailed knowledge of even sporadic food sources within its foraging range. This has been noticed because of its conspicuous ability quickly to find food put down for the other species mentioned above. In fact, most movable prey items are taken by this species even when they have been placed very near the nest entrances of the other species. It is quite likely that individual fusca workers have favoured foraging areas, but the author lacks the marking system necessary to prove this. Stealing food F. fusca is not an aggressive ant, but it will steal food that has been found by another species if it can surprise them. With small species (even Tapinoma) it will cautiously approach and reach over the other ants with its antennae to examine the prey. If not too large it will retreat slightly, then dart forward and snatch the prey and run off, usually scattering the smaller ants in the process. However, it is less likely to try to steal prey that is being moved by another ant. It rarely, if ever, steals brood from workers of a colony that is moving to a new nest site — not even small Leptothorax species. 98 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 It is often very persistent and, if disturbed while trying to move or steal prey, it will circle and return repeatedly, the radius of the circle usually increasing slightly each time. This cautious approach is in clear contrast to the aggressive behaviour of F. sanguinea. When Lasius niger pupae and workers were placed about one foot from the sanguinea nest the ever-present fusca rapidly started stealing the pupae, skilfully evading the niger workers. The sanguinea, however, gathered by the nest, and carefully advanced on the niger. They took few brood until the niger workers had been driven off or killed, showing their need to dominate the area. This took about ten minutes, by which time fusca had stolen at least twenty pupae. Selectivity towards prey During July and August 1988 the author conducted some observations to see if F. fusca workers are selective when given a choice of prey. This involved closely watching the behaviour of workers finding Lasius niger male, female and worker pupae placed by a Tetramorium colony, about five feet from the fusca nest, across rough terrain. It was hoped that the fusca would show some preference for a particular size. This selectivity might be affected by the increasing presence of Tetramorium workers, either hurrying the fusca into taking the nearest or smaller pupae, or possibly even increasing the tendency to take larger pupae before they lose the opportunity. Unfortunately, the results were not completely conclusive. The first workers to find the pile of pupae would usually walk over it for a while (evaluating it?) before taking one, quite often a male or female pupa. Sometimes they would pick up a worker pupa, then put it down again. Not surprisingly, large workers tended to take larger pupae. Smaller workers often gave up trying to move female pupae. However, individuals varied considerably. The presence of Tetramorium workers did seem to have some effect in reducing the size of pupae taken. Transport of prey Small prey items are usually carried to the nest without stopping, as would be expected. Larger pieces are usually dragged, although they may be carried in front when going downhill. Often, workers proceeded by- dragging the prey briefly, swinging it round in front then dragging it again and so on. Most species behave similarly. When dealing with very large, awkwardly shaped loads, ants often stop to change their grip. Interestingly, fusca sometimes leaves such prey and explores a short distance ahead, giving the distinct impression of trying to find the easiest way ahead. F. sanguinea may behave similarly. FORAGING IN FORMICA FUSCA 99 Both species also stop and circle their load briefly. As a result they sometimes lose it, and may take several minutes to find it again. Apart from giving a rest, this circling may have a defensive function. On several occasions the author has seen spiders of the genus Xysticus slowly following fusca workers carrying female Lasius pupae. No spider has yet been observed to catch up, but the spider is likely to steal the pupa. These spiders are undoubtedly capable of taking worker ants by ambushing them in vegetation, but on two or three occasions the author has also seen Tetramorium and Leptothorax interruptus workers attempting to catch smaller specimens of the same spider. The spiders are probably reluctant to attack an ant in the open, so, by briefly circling its load, the ant may well reduce the risk of being surprised by predators. Recruitment The second aim of the experiment described above was to see if the fusca recruited other workers to help collect the Lasius pupae. Possible methods of recruitment are:— (a) Chemical attractants. (b) Chemical trails which also stimulate workers to follow them. (c) Chemical trails which do not stimulate workers to follow them. (d) ‘‘Language’’. (e) Norecruitment, relying on workers to find the prey independently. The pupae were often found by two foragers independently within five minutes or so of each other. These would continuously shuttle back and forth to the nest, but spent very little time there. A third ant did not usually join in for some time, often 30 minutes or more, but from then on others usually joined in about every five to ten minutes, to a maximum of five to eight workers. Ants finding the pupae independently usually used different routes to the nest, and rarely changed route. It was not clear how precisely ants followed the same route on each occasion, which would help decide if a trail was laid. According to Moglich and Holldobler (1975) F. fusca does, in fact, lay trails to food sources, but they act only as an aid to orientation, and do not stimulate nest mates (possibility (c)). Stimulation is apparently achieved by a rocking behaviour (d) of the forager and passing of food from its crop on arrival at the nest. The above observations did not contradict this but, if they are correct, the method is rather inefficient. Possibilities (c) and (d) would both be very difficult to verify in the field; (b) can almost certainly be ruled out, and (a) appears to make little or no contribution in these circumstances; (e) is significant at first, accounting for up to two or three workers. Colony moving This is really a special case of recruitment. Interestingly, workers commonly carry each other to a new nest but apparently not to food. 100 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 The author has only once witnessed this species move to a new site. The initial scouting and recruitment was done by a single worker, recognisable by a dent in its abdominal armour. The fact that a fairly small number of workers move a colony is also true for F. sanguinea. Presumably some workers may learn the route as they are carried, as has been shown for Rossomyrmex proformicarum, which recruits for slave raids in this way (Marikovsky, 1974). Marriage flights It is well known that Formica species usually do not have the massive marriage flights of Lasius. Instead, the alates wander about and the females, in particular, often do not fly, probably attracting the males with pheromones. F. fusca is no exception, and alates typically appear on fine mornings in July and August, although the author has seen them as early as the beginning of April, and as late as mid-October. These are certainly overwintered, especially in windy coastal areas. As the alates often stay fairly near the nests (less than ten feet) they can return if they do not find mates. This is less wasteful than the Lasius method, but dispersal may not be so effective. L. alienus is known to kill alates that have not flown (Jensen and Nielsen, 1975). Raiding tactics of Formica sanguinea Over the last hundred and fifty years or so much has been written about the slave-making raids of F. sanguinea and Polyergus species. This account will mainly be concerned with the factors influencing the success of a raid. The account by Huber, quoted in Donisthorpe (1927) most agrees with the author’s observations. When foraging, F. sanguinea will chase other ants in a similar manner to other aggressive species, such as F. rufa. However, while the latter uses identical tactics in large scale attacks, sanguinea does not. It is well-known for avoiding ‘‘in-fighting’’, especially in the early stages of an attack. This becomes increasingly evident when fighting large species. It aims to dominate an area, driving off the opposition, preferably without physical combat. Raids usually take place on warm days in July. The main stages of a typical raid are: — (1) Preliminary activity by the sanguinea nest, and scouts dispatched. (2) Advance of more workers, more cautiously near the fusca nest. (3) Build up in numbers of sanguinea near the fusca nest, while advancing slowly. A trail may be laid back to the sanguinea nest, as has been shown for Polyergus lucidus (Marlin, 1969). (4) Final assault — not witnessed by the author. Other accounts state that the fusca nest is often blockaded at the same time. Stage (3) seems to be the key to success. The sanguinea workers do not charge forward as they get close to the fusca nest, but move carefully in a FORAGING IN FORMICA FUSCA 101 roughly circular manner, advancing a few inches, then turning, often stopping to greet the workers following. These meetings are probably of vital importance to ihe advance, as they appear to lead to an awareness of support which, if removed, leads to a retreat. The leading ants change constantly. At this stage reinforcements should be arriving frequently. It is vital that the sanguinea numbers build up quite quickly. Most fights are started by fusca and, although sanguinea workers are stronger than those of fusca, they can safely cope with only one undamaged fusca at a time. Therefore it is essential that there remains a /ocal excess of sanguinea so the forward momentum can be maintained. This gives those workers temporarily immobilised by fusca time to kill their opponent without risk of being attacked by a second one. F. sanguinea relies much more on mandible contact than does F. rufa because poisons are too slow-acting. As a result it carries less acid, so slightly improving mobility. The importance of continually moving forward probably also explains why, when raiding, sanguinea tends not to help comrades that have been attacked, in contrast to when they are foraging. (The whole episode is, in effect, more like a rugby match than a medieval battle.) Defensive response of F. fusca F. fusca has often been described as a cowardly species, but cautious would be more accurate. It certainly prefers to avoid trouble and, except for fusca from a hostile colony, it very rarely attacks other ants. However, it will often fight fiercely in defence of its nest, if its chances of success are reasonable. This has been emphasised by the repulsion of several sanguinea attacks by the two colonies in the author’s garden, including one in July 1988 involving 150-200 sanguinea workers. It shows that, while fusca is instinctively hostile to sanguinea, the reported tendency to flee from an attack is learned, as rapid flight is probably a sensible tactic to persistent attacks from large sanguinea colonies. Small sanguinea colonies probably rely on finding nervous, weakened fusca nests to attack. The key to a successful defence is the alert nature of this species, and the very rapid response to an impending attack. Until 1988 sanguinea had always attacked the nearer of the two fusca colonies, and fusca foraging near the sanguinea nest would often wander around it, stopping occasionally, giving a definite impression of watching it. Experiments are needed to ascertain whether fusca does, in fact, anticipate sanguinea raids. This might occur by two methods:— (i) Detection of external changes or behaviour of the sanguinea (most likely chemical) as the raiding season approaches. (ii) Knowledge by experience that raids occur at a particular time. This would be very significant, as it implies a long-term memory. These fusca will not tolerate sanguinea workers within three or four feet of their nest. When a scout (stage one) is located, the fusca worker attacks 102 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 it. If it misses it runs rapidly in circles. Alarm pheromones are undoubtedly released. Nearby workers start to search, and almost immediately others will be attracted from the nest, until, if several sanguinea are caught, several hundred fusca may be involved. The whole body advances in a similar fashion to sanguinea, but faster. Solitary sanguinea are attacked immediately and are overwhelmed by up to about six fusca that are attracted to the spot. Groups of sanguinea, particularly if further from the fusca nest, may not be attacked immediately. Fusca tend not to stop and greet each other — being rather wary, they usually run from any fast approaching object — but either by an awareness of movement, or by chemical means, they appear to realise if they will have support. Fusca workers attack sanguinea by racing in and seizing a leg or antenna. They are strong enough to restrain most sanguinea for at least five or ten minutes. If they manage to grip the base of a leg, the sanguinea will still be hindered even after the fusca has been killed. The fusca have the advantage of being near their nest, so re-inforcements . arrive quickly. In the raids the author has observed, fusca numbers built up rapidly enough to completely overrun the advancing sanguinea, forcing them to flee, either towards their nest, or up into vegetation where they are less likely to be found. The fusca pursued them all the way back to the nest and seized several workers just outside it, but never attempted to enter it. For several days afterwards the fusca constantly maintained a stronger than usual presence on and around the sanguinea nest, and attacked any that ventured out. Later this was reduced, the sanguinea site being within the foraging range of the other fusca colony. Aggressive fusca workers occasionally attack sanguinea foragers but usually they soon let go, or are killed, and other fusca rarely go to their aid if the colony is not threatened, particularly if the fight is near the sanguinea nest. References Donisthorpe, H. St.J.K., 1927. British Ants: their life history and classification. 436pp. Routledge & Sons Ltd, London. Jensen, T.F. and Nielsen, M.G., 1975. Ent. Meddr. 43: 5-16. Marikovsky, P.I., 1974. Ins. Soc. 21: 301-308. Marlin. J.C., 1969. J. Kans. Entomol. Soc. 42: 108-115. Moglich, M. and Hélldobler, B., 1975. J. Comp. Physiol. 101: 275-288. An early Hummingbird Hawkmoth in Kent. About midday on 4th March 1990 I was surprised to see a Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Macroglossum stellatarum L. flying along the top of the cliffs at Foreness Point near Margate in Kent. It was under observation for some five minutes during which time it made a series of quick dashes followed by periods of hovering as though it was searching for flowers which were rather sparse at this early date.— ERIC G. PHILP, 6 Vicarage Close, Aylesford, Kent ME20 7BB. BURNISHED BRASS FOODPLANTS 103 THE BURNISHED BRASS MOTH, DIACHRYSIA CHRYSITIS, (LEP: NOCTUIDAE) — A NETTLE SPECIALIST? P. WARING Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough PEI 1UA. ACCORDING to Skinner (1984) the larvae of D. chrysitis feed on ‘‘common nettle and probably other low plants’’. Davis (1983) divides the insects that feed on stinging nettles into three categories. The first of these is the insects that are restricted to stinging nettle or at least to the genus Urtica. Secondly there are the species such as the Comma butterfly Polygonia c. album that are limited to the order Urticales which contains the families Urticaceae (nettles), Cannabaceae (hops), Ulmaceae (elms) and Moraceae (figs) (Clapham, Tutin and Moore, 1987). Davis’ third category contains species that ‘‘feed on nettles and unrelated plants such as grasses or thistles or dead-nettles,’’ ie. polyphagous species. Davis considered D. chrysitis to be ‘‘more or less restricted’’ to nettles and other Urticales. In July 1987 I found a first instar larva of D. chrysitis feeding on marjoram, Origanum vulgare, on a roadside embankment at Wansford, Cambs. The nearest nettles were five metres away. I reared the larva exclusively on Origanum, and the adult emerged in September 1987. Origanum therefore meets the criteria given by Ward (1988) for acceptance as a valid host plant record. A brief search through the literature provided a number of other host plant records for D. chrysitis and these are summarised in Table 1. It is likely that some of the later works are repeating information contained in earlier ones. It is clear that D. chrysitis has been recorded from various members of two families of plants within the order Solanales in addition to members of the Urticales. Perhaps we can expect future records from other common members of the Solanales such as Thymus (thyme), Prunella (selfheal), Ajuga (bugle) and Stachys (woundwort). The records from Arctium (burdock) Achillea spp and Cirsium (thistle) suggest that D. chrysitis can feed even more widely, on members of the Compositae. | would be interested to hear of any larvae of D. chrysitis found on plants other than stinging nettles. References Allan, P.B.M., 1949. Larval foodplants. Watkins and Doncaster, Kent. Barrett, C.G., 1900. The Lepidoptera of the British Islands. 6. Reeve, London. Buckler, W., 1893. The larvae of the British butterflies and moths. 6. Ray Society, London. Carter, D.J., 1979. The observer’s book of caterpillars. Warne, London. Carter, D.J. and Hargreaves, B., 1986. A field guide to caterpillars of butterflies and moths in Britain and Europe. Collins, London. Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G., and Moore, D.M., 1987. Flora of the British Isles. Third edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 15.v.1990 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 104 OO) = O)KS) (OS) (OS) XO Ay + OCG), SOyOQvo.C) CO, WO). OO) Za QR6[ SOABIISIVH{ 2 JOWeVD €Q6] JOWWA » YIeIH ++ + OE) Ca? OO aren © SS + DPDOODO@QQOO | Coo als WIOXeCWoeeo Soe M+ (‘sqo ‘siod) SulleEM d 6r6l URTV N E16] Spoo7] 2 UPWIMAN W 006] Hole p86l FouulyS “T 0681 AqIDy €Q6[ SAAC £681 J9P19Ng Git SIME) fh O88T UOSTIA 1961 YINOS I 698] UPWMON] 6S8] UO}UTeIS Om, 'O % OF BORO — Os, 50m, O 2 O- sO Ome iO = Or “ahrte. 8: ReOn SOs SOF ut O + O aP + + O ar ar O O—.© 2 OF 208) Se = Om ~O= © Sf OO Om©® te BORO SEO, Or + siO- 20 + O + O + O O ar ar O OF O GO BO™ Se. = ROS, © FOF tO Os O's Of 1O=- © SOn YOu: O'OLOF -O O= O'% OF SOR -O FOr sO™ ©:.-O2 FO OF 10m. OFF On ce 2 te Os, © 4 O07 'O Ons© 2505 (O27 'O “2X O- SOS "Ox -O se Ghia veecheees Shee De eh meet fae Gl? So Ei 2) de te Gee) ea OV sIoyINy <A O Garey ores UO}JUIEIS "pouoNUdW JON sulonb yoL1eg _peoiqe,, WIJ p1OddI satyioads Wa1eg UMOYUS JOYINE ay} Aq pauotUsW juR|d sou YW + Ado (S]IOMOZIOUS) Va/j1YIp (9]9SIYI) winisAD (yooping) wniyo4p ae ISOdUIoOD (punoyeloy) wniqnsiow (a]170u duay) sisdoajvyH (a1}]0U peop) wind T (Ale[D MOPBOUT) DIA]DG (weIofiew) Winuds1I—E QuIW) vyjueW (ssojanq s,1Jodia) wnlyoq (Aarpwod) winjdyduids ae}eIqey] aeaoevUulse1Og (9]}99U) DIA aes0ROTI BIOUIH Aytwey SIJISKAYI DISCAYIDIG YOU SSBIG POYSIUING 94} JO VAIL] SY) JOJ Sp1OdaI JULI ISOH T H1dVvib Sa]e1ajsVy SayeUuR]OS SaTBOTIQ Jap1O O § * (€) (Z) (1) BURNISHED BRASS FOODPLANTS 105 Davies, B.N.K., 1983. Insects on nettles. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Heath, J. and Emmet, A.M., 1983. The moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland. 10. Harley, Essex. Kirby, W.E., 1890. Butterflies and moths of the United Kingdom. Routledge, London. Newman, E., 1869. An illustrated history of the British butterflies and moths. Tweedie, London. Newman, L.W. and Leeds, H.A., 1913. Text book of British butterflies and moths. Gibbs and Bamforth, St Albans. Skinner, B., 1984. Colour identification guide to the moths of the British Isles. Viking, Middx. South, R., 1961. The moths of the British Isles. Series 1. Warne, London. Stainton, H,T., 1859. Manual of British butterflies and moths. 2. Jan van Voorst, London. Ward, L.K., 1988. The validity and interpretation of insect foodplant records. Br. J. ent. nat. Hist. 1: 153-162. Wilson, O.S., 1880. The larvae of the British Lepidoptera and their food plants. Reeve, London. Some interesting second and third brood records of Lepidoptera seen in Yorkshire in 1989 A number of readers have recorded unusual second or third brood specimens during 1989, and below are a selection from Yorkshire, mainly the Selby district. I have incorporated records from Dr Heron (AH); Mr Winter (PW); Mr Spencer (BS); Dr Barnham (MB); Mr Beaumont (HB) and Mr Crowther (PC). Butterflies Pararge aegeria L. (Speckled Wood) — a few, presumably third brood seen at Owston Wood, South Yorks. 15.10. Lasiommata megera L. (Wall) — one specimen of third brood seen at Bishop’s Wood 26.10; also Harrogate 28.9 and 19.10 (MB). Lycaena phlaeas L. (Small Copper) — a third brood usually occurs here. In 1989 several seen near Barlow, 10.10; also Harrogate 28.9 and 26.10 (MB). Geometridae Timandra griseata Peters (Blood-vein) — First brood in good numbers, iulyessecond brood 1328219-8. 135-9: Scopula imitaria Hb. (Small Blood-vein) — Several first brood in July; second brood, unusual in the north, 26.9 and 1.10. Idaea biselata Hufn. (Small Fan-footed Wave) — One second-brood specimen taken by J. Whiteside at Grass Wood, Grassington, 17.10. Lymantriidae Euproctis similis Fuess. (Yellow Tail) — Second brood captures W. Melton 17.10 (HB); Wass, 16.10 (AH); Spurn, 27.10 (BS). 106 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 Arctiidae Spilosoma lubricipeda L. (White Ermine) — First brood common from 17th May; a few second brood Selby 5.9; Wass, 24.8 (AH). Noctuidae Agrotis segetum D. & S. (Turnip moth) — Wass. 10.9 (AH); Muston, 27.8 and 21.10 (PW); Cottingham, 25.9 — 1.10 (PC) and Selby (SMJ). A. exclamationis L. (Heart and Dart) — Muston, near Filey, 5.9 and 25.9 (PW) and Selby (SM/J). Lacanobia oleracea L. (Bright-line Brown-eye) — Muston, 18.8 and 22.9 (PW). Mythimna pallens L. (Common Wainscot) — second brood specimens seen most years at Selby, as was the case in 1989. Also at Muston, 10.9 and 18.10 (PW); Cottingham 10.9 (PC). M. litoralis Curt. (Shore Wainscot) — Spurn, second brood seen from 27.9 (BS). Diachrysia chrysitis L. (Burnished Brass) — not common in first brood at Selby in 1989, but partial second brood seen 17.9; Muston 29.9 and 23.8 (PW); Wass 19.7 (AH). Hypena proboscidalis L. (Snout) — a few second brood seen at Selby in September; Muston 12.9 (PW); Cottingham 7.9 (PC); Wass 11.10 (AH). S.M. JACKSON, 31 Hillfield, Selby, North Yorks YO8 6ND. Cyclophora pendularia Cl. (Lep.: Geometridae) near Sandbanks, Dorset I reported the trapping of a specimen of Cyclophora pendularia Cl. (Dingy Mocha) in July 1989 in the Luscombe Valley local nature reserve, near Sandbanks, Dorset in Ent. Rec. 101: 277. I claimed it as a new location for this species in Dorset. Subsequently I purchased a copy of Local Lists of Lepidoptera by J.M. Chalmers-Hunt. This very useful publication put me in touch with the work of the late Rev F.M.B. Carr, who resided only some 250 yards from Luscombe Valley from 1947 to 1951. He caught a single specimen of C. pendularia at a non-mv light trap in his garden in both 1948 and 1951. I think it likely that his specimens were wanderers from the nearby wetland area of Luscombe Valley and that there may well have been a resident colony in the valley for many years. However, the possibility that both his and my specimens originated from the other side of Poole Harbour (e.g. the Little Sea area of Studland), or even from the islands in the harbour, cannot be wholly discounted. References: Carr, F.M.B. 1951 An account of some of the macrolepidoptera of Sandbanks, Dorset. Rep. Proc. Lancs. Chesh. Ent. Soc. 1949-50: 27; Carr F.M.B. 1952 Notes on Dorset and Hampshire lepidoptera in 1951. Ent. Rec. 64: 113.— G.G. EASTWICK-FIELD, Little Earlstone, Burghclere, Newbury, Berks. LEPIDOPTERA OF WIGTOWN 107 LEPIDOPTERA IN VICE-COUNTY 74 (WIGTOWN), JUNE 1989 E.F. HANCOCK Abbotsford, Belmont, Ulverston, Cumbria FROM 17th - 30th June 1989 my wife and I stayed in Wigtownshire (Dumfries and Galloway) near an area of mixed woodland marked on the 1:50,000 map as The Forest. It is situated south of Kirkinner within 10 km square ref. NX 44 and forms part of the Kilsture Forest complex owned by the Forestry Commission. For several years I have been accumulating records of Tortricidae for preparing the distribution maps for Volume 5 of Moths and Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland (MBGBI) and for this purpose I have received many unpublished records from other lepidopterists but only four tortricid species were known to me from v.c.74. The area is an attractive one so we had no hesitation in selecting it for a holiday and since I was able to add a further fifteen tortricids to the list there is no shortage of insects there. Of particular interest was Cydia fagiglandana (Zell.), a single specimen which came to a light trap on 19th June being the most northerly British record. In England it is of mainly southern distribution but has been noted as far north as Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire with an old, unconfirmed record from Yorkshire. Bradley ef a/. in British Tortricoid Moths (1979) suggest that the species has possibly been overlooked elsewhere in Britain | because its northerly range on the Continent extends to Sweden. Among the other species Swammerdamia compunctella Herr.-Schaff. is stated by Agassiz (Proc. Trans. Br. ent. nat. Hist. Soc. 20: 20) to be local and little known, but apparently commoner in the north, and he gives Scottish records from West Lothian, Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and West Ross. Many of the species recorded represent additions to the distributions shown in those volumes of MBGBI already published. The area would certainly repay visits at other times of the year and since records for the vice-county are sparse or not readily accessible it is considered worth listing all the species recorded during our two-week stay. The great majority were noted in The Forest and adjoining area (Grid ref. NX 44) but a few records from other 10 km squares, all within the vice-county of Wigtown, are included. The species numbers and nomenclature are based on Bradley & Fletcher’s Indexed list of British butterflies and moths (1986). Grid ref. NX44 (The Forest and nearby area): 16 -Hepialus hecta (Linn.) 391 Glyphipterix simpliciella (Steph.) 18 —_H. fusconebulosa (DeGeer) 410 Argyresthia brockeella (Htibn.) 123 Tischeria ekebladella (Bjerk.) 415 A. retinella Zell. 136 Lampronia rubiella (Bjerk.) 439 Swammerdamia compunctella 286 Caloptilia alchimiella (Scop.) Herr.-Schaff. 354 Phyllonorycter emberizaepenella 449 Prays fraxinella (Bjerk.) (Bouch.) 544 Coleophora albicosta (Haw.) 385. Anthophila fabriciana (Linn.) 584 C. alticolella Zell. 108 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 597 610 647 648 905 945 954 1000 1007 1011 1033 1076 1082 1083 1087 1132 1142 1176 1200 1201 1212 1259 1293 1301 1334 1345 1386 1395 1524 1531 1532 1549 1550 1551 1574 1590 1600 1626 1629 1674 1693 1722 1727 1728 1738 1769 1776 1802 1803 1817 1837 Elachista atricomella Staint. E. argentella (Clerck) Hofmannophila pseudospretella (Staint.) Endrosis sarcitrella (Linn.) Blastodacna hellerella (Dup.) Aethes cnicana (Westw.) Eupoecilia angustana (Htibn.) Ptycholoma lecheana (Linn.) Capua vulgana (Frdl.) Pseudargyrotoza conwagana (Fabr.) Tortrix viridana (Linn.) Olethreutes lacunana ([D. & S.]) Hedya pruniana (Hiibn.) H. dimidioalba (Retz.) Orthotaenia undulana ([D. & S.]) Epinotia subocellana (Don.) E. tedella (Clerck) Epiblema trimaculana (Haw.) Eucosma hohenwartiana ([D. & S.]) E. cana (Haw.) Rhyacionia pinivorana (L. & Z.) Cydia fagiglandana (Zell.) Chrysoteuchia culmella (Linn.) Crambus lathoniellus (Zinck.) Scoparia ambigualis (Treits.) Elophila nymphaeata (Linn.) Opsibotys fuscalis ([D. & S.]) Udea ferrugalis (Hiibn.) Emmelina monodactyla (Linn.) Ochlodes venata (Brem. & Grey) Erynnis tages (Linn.) Pieris brassicae (Linn.) P. rapae (Linn.) P. napi (Linn.) Polyommatus icarus (Rott.) Vanessa atalanta (Linn.) Boloria selene ([D. & S.]) Maniola jurtina (Linn.) Aphantopus hyperantus (Linn.) Jodis lactearia (Linn.) Scopula floslactata (Haw.) Xanthoroe designata (Hufn.) X. montanata ([D. & S.]) X. fluctuata (Linn.) Epirrhoe alternata (Miill.) Thera britannica (Turn.) Colostygia pectinataria (Knoch) Perizoma affinitata (Steph.) P. alchemillata (Linn.) Eupithecia pulchellata Steph. E. subfuscata (Haw.) 1870 1885 1887 1906 1937 1941 1948 1954 1961 1962 1981 2014 2057 2060 2061 2089 2098 2102 2107 2110 2120 2158 2163 2205 2284 2289 2305 2306 2321 2326 2330 2334 2335) 2340 2345 2381 2389 2425 2434 2441 2442 2443 2474 2477 Odezia atrata (Linn.) Abraxus sylvata (Scop.) Lomaspilis marginata (Linn.) Opisthograptis luteolata (Linn.) Peribatodes rhomboidaria ([D. & S.]) Alcis repandata (Linn.) Ectropis crepuscularia ([D. & S.]) Bupalus piniaria (Linn.) Campaea margaritata (Linn.) Hylaea fasciaria (Linn.) Laothoe populi (Linn.) Drymonia dodonaea ([D. & S.]) Arctia caja (Linn.) Spilosoma lubricipeda (Linn.) S. lutea (Esp.) Agrotis exclamationis (Linn.) Axylia putris (Linn.) Ochropleura plecta (Linn.) Noctua pronuba (Linn.) N. fimbriata (Schreb.) Diarsia mendica (Fabr.) Lacanobia thalassina (Hufn.) Ceramica pisi (Linn.) Mythimna comma (Linn.) Acronicta psi (Linn.) A. rumicis (Linn.) Euplexia lucipara (Linn.) Phlogophora meticulosa (Linn.) Apamea monoglypha (Hufn.) A. crenata (Hufn.) A. remissa (Hiibn.) A. sordens (Hufn.) Oligia strigilis (Linn.) O. fasciuncula (Haw.) Photedes minima (Haw.) Hoplodrina alsines (Brahm) Caradrina clavipalpis (Scop.) Colocasia coryli (Linn.) Diachrysia chrysitis (Linn.) Autographa gamma (Linn.) A. pulchrina (Haw.) A. jota (Linn.) Rivula sericealis (Scop.) Hypena proboscidalis (Linn.) Grid ref. NX 36 (Newton Stewart area): 1574 1600 1627 Polyommatus icarus (Rott.) Boloria selene ([D. & S.]) Coenonympha pamphilus (Linn.) Grid ref. NX 26 (near Tarf Bridge): 1643 Pavonia pavonia (Linn.) [larva] LEPIDOPTERA OF WIGTOWN 109 Grid ref. NX 25 (Glen Luce area): Grid ref. NX 16 (New Luce area): 169 Zygaena filipendulae (Linn.) 1040 Acleris caledoniana (Steph.) 1531 Ochlodes venata (Brem. & Grey) (larvae on Myrica; em. end July) 1574 Polyommatus icarus (Rott.) 1142 Epinotia tedella (Clerck) 1629 Aphantopus hyperantus (Linn.) 1627 Coenonympha pamphilus (Linn.) 1909 Pseudopanthera macularia (Linn.) 1628 C. tullia (Miill.) Acknowledgement I thank the Forestry Commission, Newton Stewart Office, for permission to collect Lepidoptera in the woodlands of the Kilsture Forest area. Scopula imitaria Hibn. (Lep.: Geometridae) — a note on voltinism. Although modern textbooks state that this insect is univoltine in Britain, C. Barrett (Lepidoptera of the British Islands, 1902) states that there is a partial second brood in hot seasons in September, or even late August, in very mild and sheltered districts. The first appearance is sometimes earlier and the second generation more complete. I can find only three references to probable second brood specimens in recent years — C. de Worms, Woking, Surrey, 12.ix.1976 (Ent. Rec. 89: 144) and 14.ix.1961 (Entomologist 95: 115), and A. Wheeler, Ashstead, Surrey, 11.:x.1969 (L. & K. Evans, A survey of the macro-lepidoptera of Croydon and N.E. Surrey, 1973). Chalmers-Hunt (Butterflies and moths of Kent, 3, 1981) has surprisingly no record of a second brood specimen for that county. Imitaria puts in an appearance at my garden mv light most years, usually in July, occasionally in June or August, the earliest date being 13.vi.1989. The following occasions undoubtedly refer to examples of a second generation — 6.ix.1975 and 18.ix.1975, a year in which I encountered only one specimen of the first brood, and that on the early date of 24th June; 28.viii.1976 and 15.ix.1976, first brood specimens appearing from 10th July until 25th July; and 13.ix.1989 and 21.ix.1989. Barrett’s assessment of the time appearance of imitaria would appear to be the correct one as far as this area is concerned. However, is not one forced to conclude that this moth must have been much commoner in its second generation in the nineteenth century than today, for Barrett’s observation was made before the coming of the mv light, and the few recent sightings of September imitaria listed refer to attraction by this source? Of the second generation specimens of imitaria attracted to my mv light only one was retained, that noted for 15.ix.1982, and this is an example of ab. aequilineata Schwingenschuss, which as its name suggests has the characteristic well-defined oblique line replaced by a thin line no more prominent than the other cross lines. Chalmers-Hunt (/oc. cit.) has only one reference to this form for Kent — a specimen in the National Collection which was taken at Barham (date not given); however, it is doubtless the one labelled ‘‘June 1921’’ in a meagre series of three, 110 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 indicating that this form must be distinctly rare, and may appear in either generation.— B.K. WEST, 36 Briar Road, Dartford, Kent DA5 2HN. ENTOMOLOGICAL PATTER (With apologies to W.S. Gilbert) From my youth to old age, I have sought to engage In collecting all insects with scales. It’s a singular hobby, just ask any Bobby, When you’re caught up a lamp-post in ‘‘tails’’. I’ve a mercury light, which is terribly bright, As it shines above sheets on a tripod: And the insects buzz round, with a soft whirring sound, Like Arch-deacons attending a Synod. I splash treacle on trees, and lots fall on my knees, To attract hungry moths there to feed on; And plump females I catch, which lay eggs by the batch, From which many fine vars I shall breed on. There are Micros so small, which I can’t see at all, With names that are sesquipedalian, But with winds South-South-West I may hope for the best Of rare migrants ex Mediterranean. There are wasps in my hair, and a very fine pair Of pseudospretella in copula. Nothing wrong with this moth, though its larvae eat cloth And with housewives they aren’t very popular. When you’re up in the Breck, and you race neck and neck With a friend after grisea for a gamble. It may look a fair bet as you swipe with your net, But it all gets caught up in a bramble. NOW I’ve broken my net and I can’t see to set And it isn’t much fun when you simply can’t run In pursuit of a coal-black /athonia. And that cursed dermestes, a terrible pest is — But I’ll finish my song as the Genny’s gone wrong... And I’ve just spilt a pint of Ammonia! EJ EEW., @ct=1989 CLYTUS AND ANAGLYPTUS 11 THE GENERA CL YTUS LAICH. AND ANAGL YPTUS MULS. (COL.: CERAMBYCIDAE) IN THE BRITISH ISLES RAYMOND R. UHTHOFF-K AUFMANN 13 Old Road, Old Harlow, Essex CM17 OHB. Clytus arietis L. THIS IS still a common species encountered almost everywhere but becoming rarer in Scotland. There are hardly any Irish records, about which Dr Speight (1988) expresses some reservations. ENGLAND: BD BK BX CB CH CU DM DT (DY) EC EK EN ES EX EY GE GW HF AT AUIWL LNLRLS MM MX MY ND NE NH NM NN NO NS NW NY OX SD SE SH SL SN SP SR SS ST SW SY WC WK WL WN WOWS WW WX WY. WALES: BR CD CR DB FT GM MN PB. SCOTLAND: AM BW ED EL KBIA SG. IRELAND: AN SK. An injurious pest with liberal tastes, the larva of this beetle perforates with its tunnellings the following trees and shrubs:- apple, bay, beech (greatly favoured), birch, broom, cherry, chestnut, crab-apple, dogrose, elm, false acacia, fig, hawthorn, hazel, hornbeam, juniper, laurel, lime, maple, oak, of which it is also very fond, pear, plum, Pyrus malus, raspberry canes, sallow, sour cherry, spindle, spruce (occasionally), willow, Wistaria, wych elm. It is doubtfully associated with aspen. The larva is parasitised by the Hymenopterons, Aspidogonus diversi- cornis Wesm., Helcon annulicornis Nees, Neoxorides nitens Grav., Pyracmon austriacus Tschek. and P. xoridoides Strobl. It also falls prey to the beetle, Lygistopterus sanguineus F. and has been devoured by these spiders:- Aranea sexpunctata L., Ciflio similis Bl. and Segestria florentina Ross. Metamorphosis usually lasts two years but may extend to three; pupation occurs either in August and September, the pupa overwintering, or during spring in March and April. The adult beetle emerges then and from May onwards and is about until July. Popularly known as the Wasp Beetle, which insect it mimics in coloration and movements, it runs rapidly and readily takes to wing in sunshine. The beetle is found by sweeping grasses and aquatic vegetation. It is not often taken off flowers, settling only momentarily on Angelica, Anthriscus, brambles, currant bushes, dogrose, dogwood, ferns, hawthorn, hogweed, Lonicera, nettles, Spiraea, Viburnum and_ in flowering pea and bean fields, and seems to prefer dead hedgerows, old logs and branches, posts and railings. C. arietis has long been known to our early entomologists, and was illustrated by both Martyn and Donovan in 1792. A dozen colour varieties of this beetle are found in Europe, one of 112 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 which, the var. cloueti Thery, closely resembles Allen’s (1959) medianly black form below and distinguished from the latter by having the sub- humeral elytral band broken into two maculations. v. medioniger Allen. ENGLAND: L SH. Extremely rare on brambles, only two examples have so far been recorded. Listed by Kloet & Hincks (1977). Anaglyptus mysticus L. A widely distributed beetle in England as far north as mid-west Yorkshire. There are hardly any records from the Principality and it is unknown in either Scotland or Ireland. ENGLAND: BD BK BX CB CH DT DY EK EN ES EY GE GW HE HT HU L LN LR LS MM MX MY ND NH NM NONS NW OX SD SE SH (SL) SRSS ST SY WK WOWS WWWX WY. WALES: DB (MG). An equally injurious beetle whose larva is more eclectic than that of C. arietis. It attacks the boles and branches of dry or fresh hardwoods, especially those that have been fire scorched, including alder, almond, aspen, beech, birch, dogwood, elder, false acacia, hawthorn, hazel, holly, hornbeam, lime, maple, oak, pear, persimmon, plum, rowan, snowbell, spindle tree, sycamore and wych elm. Its only parasite is the Braconid, Aspidogonus diversicornis Wesm. The life cycle lasts two years, with the pupa forming in autumn and over- wintering. Imagines emerge in April and are found until July. As Ovipositing takes place in the host tree, recurring infestations eventually riddle it completely. A local, sometimes fairly common beetle which settles on dogwood, hawthorn, hogweed, nettles, Spiraea, Viburnum and old posts and faggots. It is figured by Donovan (1794). Villiers (1978) illustrates seven varieties, only one of which has been recorded with us. It is very rarely found on hawthorn blossom with the type. v. albofasciatus Deg. (a. hieroglyphicus Hbst.). ENGLAND: BK CH HU LR NO OX SH SR WK WO WS. First catalogued as hieroglyphicus by Beare & Donisthorpe (1904) and again by Beare in 1930, this variety is omitted by Kloet & Hincks in their two Check Lists (1945, 1977). Brownean symbols are used (Kaufmann, 1989), those _ italicised indicating a commonly recorded species and bracketed letters standing for those still requiring confirmation. Acknowledgements Thanks for information and help are extended to A.A. Allen Esq, Miss I. CLYTUS AND ANAGLYPTUS h13 Baldwin, Royal Museum of Scotland, Mrs B. Leonard, Librarian, Royal Entomological Society, and C. MacKechnie Jarvis Esq. References Allen, A.A., 1959. A remarkable new variety of Clytus arietis L. (Col.: Ceram- bycidae), Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 95: 116. Aurivillius, C., 1912. Cerambycidae in Junk, W. and Schenkling, S., Coleopter- orum Catalogus, 39: 368-369; 412-415. Berlin. Beare, T.H., 1930. A catalogue of the recorded Coleoptera of the British Isles: 35. London. — & Donisthorpe, H.StJ.K., 1904. Catalogue of British Coleoptera: 31. London. Chinery, M., 1986. Insects. London and Glasgow. — , 1986. Insects of Britain and western Europe. London. Cooter, J. & Cribb, P.W., 1975. A Coleopterist’s handbook. 2nd ed. Feltham. Cox, H.E., 1874. A handbook of the Coleoptera, 2. London. Curtis, J., 1837. A guide to the arrangement of British Insects: 71. 2nd ed. London. Demelt, C. von, 1966. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands, 52: 2, Bockkafer oder Ceram- bycidae 1. Jena. Dibb, J.R., 1948. Field book of Beetles. Hull. Donovan, E., 1792. The natural history of British Insects, 1, plate 27. London. — , 1794. Idem, 3, plate 34, fig. 2. London. Duffy, E.A.J., 1953. A monograph of the immature stages of British and imported Timber Beetles (Cerambycidae). London. Fowler, W.W., 1890. The Coleoptera of the British Islands, 4. London. — & Donisthorpe, H.StJ.K., 1913. Idem, 6 (Supplement). London. Freude, H., Harde, K.W. & Lohse, G.A., 1966. Die Kafer Mitteleuropas, 9. Krefeld. Harde, K.W., 1984. A field guide in colour to Beetles, English edn., Hammond, P.M. London. Joy, N.H., 1976. A practical handbook of British Beetles. 2 vols. 2nd ed. Faringdon. Kaufmann, R.R. Uhthoff-, 1948. Notes on the distribution of the British Longicorn Coleoptera, Entomologist’s mon. Mag., 84: 66-85. — , 1948. An annotated list of the Scottish Longicorn Coleoptera, Proc. R..Phys. Soc. Edin., 23(2): 83-94. — , 1989. Brown versus Watson: Round two, Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var., 101: 61-63. Klausnitzer, B. & Sander, F., 1981. Die Bockkdfer Mitteleuropas. Wittenberg Lutherstadt. Kloet, G.S. & Hincks, W.D., 1945. A check list of British Insects: Coleoptera: 201. Stockport. — ,1977. Idem, Coleoptera and Strepsiptera, 11 (3): 71. 2nd ed. London. Linssen, E.F., 1959. Beetles of the British Isles, 2. London. — , 1987. Insects of the British Isles. 3rd ed. Harmondsworth. Lyneborg, L., 1977. Beetles in colour, English edn., Vevers, G. Poole. Marsham, T., 1802. Entomologia Britannica, 1, Coleoptera. London. Martyn, T., 1792. The English Entomologist, pl. 27, f.4. London. Pic, M., 1891. Catalogue des Coléopteres-Longicornes: 55. Lyons. Samouelle, G., 1819. The Entomologist’s Compendium. London. Shaw, G., 1806. General Zoology, 6, Insects. London. 114 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 IS-vs1990 Speight, M.C.D., 1988. The Irish Cerambycid fauna (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Bull. Ir. biogeog. Soc., 41-76. Spry, W. & Shuckard, W.E., 1861. The British Coleoptera delineated. 2nd ed. London. Stephens, J.F., 1829. A systematic catalogue of British Insects: 201. London. — , 1831. Illustrations of British Entomology, Mandibulata, 4. London. — , 1839. A manual of British Coleoptera. London. Villiers, A., 1978. Faune des Coléoptéres de France, 1, Cerambycidae. Paris. Winkler, A., 1929. Catalogus Coleopterorum regionis palaearcticae, 10: 1177; 1181. Vienna. Wood, J.G., 1883. Common British Insects. London. A satyrid butterfly in a light trap On 3rd September 1989 I switched on my m.v. trap (Skinner) at 21.40 hours local time (= 19.40 GMT). It was completely dark, mainly overcast. The afternoon temperature had been 28°C, while the night minimum was 11°C. The trap is situated on my small balcony about 30 metres above street level, overlooking a main road. The altitude is 920 metres above sea level. In the morning, I found the trap to contain its normal number of 20 - 30 ‘‘macro’’ moths and also a fresh looking male Brintesia circe (Fab.). This is the largest European satyrid, with a wing span of up to about 65 mm, and looks rather like a gigantic White Admiral. It is a common species in this southern part of Andorra, but September is a late date — June/July is its usual flight period. And what was it doing flying about in the dark — not merely dusk? I have had personal experience of penumbral Satyridae in Nigeria, North Borneo and the Seychelles; I did not know that it is a habit of European species; and this was not merely penumbral, but completely nocturnal.— PATRICK ROCHE, Av. Verge de Canolich, 97, Sant Julia de Loria, Andorra. Migrant butterflies in 1989 1989 appears to have been a good year for only one species of immigrant butterfly, Vanessa atalanta. My first sightings for the year came whilst on holiday in Scotland, when on 17th June two were seen at Kyle of Lochalsh, Wester Ross. Three days later, another was seen at Bettyhill, West Sutherland, on the north coast. Returning home, two more were seen at Princes Risborough, Bucks, on 27th June and after this they were to be seen from time to time throughout the rest of the season, becoming more common as autumn approached. On 30th September a dozen or so were seen at Dale, Pembs, mostly on ivy blossom; in the same locality two Colias croceus Fourc, were also noted, one male and one female (another was seen shortly afterwards but could have been one of the original two) and in glorious warm sunshine there were large numbers of presumably third brood Lycaena phlaeas and Lasiommata megera and two Polyommatus icarus.— A.J. SHOWLER, 12 Wedgwood Drive, Hughenden Valley, High Wycombe, Bucks HP144PA. LEPTOCERUS TINEIFORMIS IN IRELAND 115 LEPTOCERUS TINEIFORMIS CURTIS: A CADDISFLY NEW TO IRELAND FROM POLLARDSTOWN FEN, CO. KILDARE J.P. O’CONNOR', J.A. GOOD? and K.G.M. BOND? "National Museum of Ireland, Kildare St., Dublin 2 2 Dept. of Agricultural Zoology, University College, Dublin 3Dept. of Zoology, University College, Cork IN 1989, the Irish Biogeographical Society set up an ‘““‘Area of Scientific Interest Committee’’ in co-operation with the Irish Wildlife Federation. One of the aims of this Committee was to produce a publication by the Society on a Site of International Importance viz. Pollardstown Fen (Newbridge Fen), Co. Kildare. This would include a review of published records and the results of IBS surveys in 1989. JPO’C undertook to identify any collected Trichoptera. The fen, consisting of 1SOha, is the best developed one in Ireland and is reputed to have the largest area of saw sedge, Cladium, in western Europe. It is relatively recent in origin and its present ecological interest is maintained by alkaline drainage water percolating from the Curragh gravels (Anon, 1981). The area has produced many insect rarities including a hoverfly new to Europe (Speight and Vockeroth, 1988). On the night of 22nd July 1989, JAG and KGMB operated an m.v. light trap at the fen (grid reference N773155). The trap was placed near Phragmites, limestone springs, canal drains and Schoenus fen. The catch of caddisflies included a single female of Leptocerus tineiformis Curtis. It was identified using Malicky (1983). No species of Leptocerus has been taken previously in Ireland (O’Connor, 1987). The Irish list now stands at 146 species. In Britain, L. tineiformis occurs in lakes, large weedy ponds and occasionally canals. It is mainly found in midland and southern England and southern Wales (Wallace, pers. comm.). Many adult leptocerids swarm during the day and their activity usually diminishes with darkness. Crichton et. al. (1978) have shown that adult leptocerids are rarely caught by light traps far from water. Typically, L. tineiformis was poorly represented in the Rothamsted Insect Survey. However, when a light trap was run close to suitable water, as at Millbarn Pond, there were large catches of L. tineiformis (Crichton, 1960). It is probable therefore that the Irish specimen originated from one of the canal drains or other suitable habitats near where the trap was situated. The specimen has been deposited in the National Museum of Ireland. Acknowledgements We are very grateful to Dr I.D. Wallace for providing information on L. tineiformis in Britain and for his helpful comments on this paper. 116 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 References Anon, 1981. Areas of scientific interest in Ireland. An Foras Forbartha, Dublin. Crichton, M.I., 1960. A study of captures of Trichoptera in a light trap near Reading, Berkshire. Trans. R. ent. Soc. Lond. 112: 319-344. Crichton, M.I., Fisher, D. and Woiwood, I.P., 1978. Life histories and distribution of British Trichoptera, excluding Limnephilidae and Hydroptilidae, based on the Rothamsted Insect Survey. Hol. Ecol. 1: 31-45. Malicky, H., 1983. Atlas of European Trichoptera. Junk, The Hague. O’Connor, J.P., 1987. A review of the Irish Trichoptera in Bournaud, M. and Tachet, H. (eds). Proc. of the 5th Int. Symp. on Trichoptera: 73-77. Speight, M.C.D. and Vockeroth, J.R., 1988. Platycheirus amplus: an insect new to Ireland not previously recorded from Europe (Diptera: Syrphidae). Jr. Nat. J. 22S So Ne Scaphisoma assimile Erichson (Col.: Scaphidiidae) in Kent. On 27th March 1974, I took two specimens of Scaphisoma by sieving some fungus-infected plant litter on Hothfield Common (TQ/9645), Kent. N.H. Joy in his A Practical Handbook of British Beetles, 1932, gives only S. agaricinum (Linn.) and boleti (Panzer), but the Hothfield specimens would not satisfactorily fit either species. Recourse was then made to Freude H., Harde K.W. and Lohse G.A., Die Kafer Mitteleuropas, Band 3, 1971, where the specimen ran down to Scaphisoma assimile Erichson, identifica- tion being confirmed by the male genitalia which matched the illustration therein perfectly. W.W. Fowler in his The Coleoptera of the British Isles, Vol. 3, 1889 under S. assimile he gives ‘‘Introduced by Mr Rye (Ent. mon Mag. ii, 140) on a single specimen taken at Coombe Wood; he says of it, “‘My insect exhibits all the characters, except the narrowness, as compared with S. boleti, but I think it can hardly fail to be the true assimile’”’ (Ent. Ann. 1866, 77). Apart from being listed in both the 1945 and 1977 editions of Kloet & Hincks, A Check List of British Insects | have been unable to find any other published records of this species as a British insect. I must thank Mr A.A. Allen for prompting me to publish this belated record.— ERIC G. PHILP, Natural History Section, Maidstone Museum, St Faith’s Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LH. A note on the life history of Semiothisa brunneata Thunb. (Lep.: Geometridae) Rannoch Looper. In Skinner (Moths of the British Isles, Viking, 1984) it is incorrectly stated that S. brunneata overwinters as a small larva. Had the author taken the trouble to consult Buckler (Larvae of the British Butterflies and Moths, Vol. VII, Ray Soc., 1896) this crass error could have been avoided. In fact the eggs of S. brunneata do not hatch until the early spring as Mr R.G. Chatelain observed when recently rearing this species.— BERNARD SKINNER, 5 Rawlins Close, South Croydon, Surrey CR2 8JS. DEFOLIATION BY YPONOMEUTA RORRELLA 17 DEFOLIATION OF WILLOW TREES IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE BY WILLOW ERMINE MOTH, YPONOMEUTA RORRELLA HUBN. (LEP.: YPONOMEUTIDAE) SAM CHESSER End House, Riverside Close, Oundle, Peterborough. DURING 1988 and 1989 a plantation of willows (Salix alba serotina), grown to provide wood for cricket bats, has been extensively defoliated by the larvae of willow ermine moth. Over 95% of the leaves of many of the trees was destroyed, and the trunks of the trees had a ghostly white appearance because they were encased in silk. This silk extended over the nettles and grass at the base of the trees enclosing swarms each of several hundred larvae. The plantation is about nine hectares in area and is beside the River Nene between Oundle and Barnwell in the East Midlands (map reference TL 048868). A thousand willows have been planted there since 1968 and are now being harvested for making cricket bats. In the years since 1968 a few have been felled and replaced with small trees. Willow ermine moths lay their eggs in late July and early August in clusters covered by silk on the branches of the tree. The eggs are said to hatch in September but I did not find larvae until they emerged from the silk covering in April. They then climb up the twigs in groups and spin a dense network of silk within the bud. They eat the leaves from the centre outwards, and as they eat they secrete silk so that as they move to a new food source the ‘‘tent’’ moves with them. One small twig from a three year old tree, containing about a fiftieth of the total leaf area of the tree, contained 526 larvae. In the quest for food the larvae move down the trunk and the silk comes to envelope the whole tree. In the last ten days of June the larvae stop feeding and mass beneath the main branches in tents containing several hundred larvae — so many that sometimes the silk breaks and the larvae fall to the ground. Pupation takes place inside the tent and adults begin to emerge in the third week of July. Though completely defoliated the trees soon come into leaf again once the larvae have pupated. The infestation was first noticed in July 1988 and was even more severe in 1989 when over 90% of the trees were affected and many were totally defoliated. I am grateful to Mr T.G. Winter of the Forestry Commission Research Station at Alice Holt for the comment that he has found very little in the British literature on this insect, and for references of its occurrence in the Ukraine and in Iran. Mr Nicholas Wright of Great Leighs in Essex, who supplies and harvests the trees, has told me that he knows of one previous outbreak in Britain, in Bedfordshire about thirty-five years ago. There appear to be few natural controlling agents. The larvae are eaten 118 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 by blackbirds and by long-tailed tits, but these make no impact on the numbers of larvae present. A parasitic ichneumon was found, but less than one per cent of pupae were parasitised. Karasev, V.S. (1968) has recorded severe infestations by willow ermine moth in the Southern Ukraine, and he established that in 1966-67 a sum of effective temperatures of 235 day- degrees C was necessary for larval development in spring. In another paper (Karasev, V.S. 1968) he describes high mortality of larvae in the field when sprayed in May with spores of Bacillus thuringiensis var galleriae. Tereshchenko, V.E. (1968) considers that the parasite Ageniaspis fuscicollis (Dalm.) may be a good means of control. The source of the infestation remains a mystery, although Emmet (1990) suggests it is a scarce resident whose numbers are re-enforced by immigra- tion. The warm winters of 1988 and 1989 have probably contributed to the severity of the outbreak. It is disturbing in 1989 to find the moths on other species of willow outside the plantation and at least a kilometre from it. Acknowledgements I am grateful to Mr V. Vinson for permission to work on the Barnwell Estate, and to Mr I.F. Thomas for help with the preparation of these notes. Mr Winter’s kind assistance with the references has already been recorded. References Emmet, A.M., 1990. The status of Yponomeuta evonymella L. and Y. rorrella Hiibn. (Lep.: Yponomeutidae) in Southern England. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 102: 65-69. Karasev, V.S., 1968 (On the biology and distribution of Hyponomeuta rorrella in the south of the Ukraine). Zoologicheskii Zhurnal 47 (12): 1862-1864. — , 1968. (Biological control of the Willow Ermine Moth). Zashchita Rasenii. 13 (11): 44. Tereshchenko, V.E., 1968. (Biological control of the Willow Ermine Moth.) Jbid. 44-45. Lepidoptera new to Buckingham Palace Garden in 1989 Monitoring of the butterfly and moth fauna of Buckingham Palace Garden, which began in 1960 by gracious permission of H.M. the Queen, was continued in 1989 from May until November. Mr David Carter of the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, was granted permission to join me and we were privileged to visit the garden by day. A mercury vapour light trap was set at the western side of the lake and, by arrangement with Mr T.Deighton, head gardener, was switched on when nights seemed promising for moths. The prolonged periods of sunshine and hot dry weather, for which the 1989 season was remarkable, favoured butterflies and provided seemingly optimal night conditions for moths. The Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 119 was more numerous than at any time during the past 30 years, and in May several could sometimes be seen flying together. The moth trap yielded a good diversity of species but the numbers of individuals was generally low. Catches of usually common or abundant soil-pupating noctuids such as Noctua pronuba L. (Yellow Underwing) and Xestia xanthographa D. & S. (Square-spot Rustic) were exceptionally small, possibly because emergence was affected by the hard ground. The following eleven species, listed by families, had not previously been taken in the Palace garden: Glyphipterigidae: Glyphipterix simpliciella Stephens, 11 May; 1 spn. Signs of emergence holes believed to belong to this species had been found in previous years in stems of Cock’s-foot grass (Dactylis glomerata) growing in shady uncut areas round the lake and on the mound. Tortricidae: Epiphyas postvittana Walker (Light Brown Apple Moth), 18 May; | spn. An Australian species, discovered in Britain in the mid-1930s breeding in Devon and Cornwall, and after 30 years reported spreading through the south coast counties into Kent and Essex and recently into the London area and South Wales. Acleris cristana D. & S., 20 July; 1 spn. Typically a rural species found in woodland thickets, and not normally on the wing in July. Lobesia littoralis Humph. & Westw., 17 July; 1 spn. Typically a coastal species but often found inland in gardens where Thrift (Armeria maritima) is grown. Pyralidae: Scoparia subfusca Haworth, 18 May; 1 male. Achroia grisella Fabricius (Lesser Wax moth), 17 July; 1 spn. Geometridae: Apeira syringaria Linnaeus (Lilac Beauty), 29 June, 1 spn. Noctuidae: Protodeltote pygarga Hufnagel (Marbled White Spot), 15 June; 1 spn. Acronicta leporina Linnaeus (The Miller), 22 June; 1 spn. Lithophane ornitopus Hufnagel (Grey Shoulder-knot), 19 October; 1 spn. Lithophane leautieri Boisduval (Blair’s Shoulder-knot), 19 October; 1 spn. This species has become widespread in southern England since its discovery on the Isle of Wight in 1951. Its appearance in London may be linked with the extensive planting of Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) and other conifers as ornamentals and screens, which became practicable with the diminished smoke pollution that followed the Clean Air Acts of 1956 and 1968. The total number of species of Lepidoptera from the Palace garden is about 600, including 22 butterflies.— J.D. BRADLEY, 53 Osterley Road, Isleworth, Middx TW7 4PW. 120 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15-v:1990 The Celastrina Year What a year for the Holly Blue! After a few years of comparative scarcity this species returned with a vengeance during 1989. Butterflies were seen in this part of Essex from the end of April till well into May. In fact it was very pleasing to see numbers back to normal for the spring months, but little did I expect to see such a profusion of this species build up as they did from July onwards with a peak around the 17th onwards throughout August. One interesting feature about this butterfly was the number that I noticed drinking together with Pieris rapae, Small White, from damp patches on my bowling greens after overnight watering. Larvae of the Holly Blue were plentiful amongst ivy flowers in my garden during August 1989. I gathered sixteen, in all stages of growth, in ten minutes searching on 16th August. All seemed reasonably healthy. Butterflies were still flying in the same garden on 28th August. By 23rd September all larvae had pupated and were put away for the winter in cool quarters. However, on 29th September a parasitic wasp (Listrodromus nycthemerus) emerged, followed by several more during the next few days. A period of three weeks passed and once again a small emergence occurred, resulting in three more parasites and two butterflies, one of each sex, the last emergence taking place on 21st October. The rest of the pupae seem alright but I have a feeling that the remaining ones will be heavily parasitised. It will be interesting to see how the populations fare in 1990. Two queries: where do the late butterflies deposit their eggs? and would it be possible for them to reach maturity because I feel that the larvae only eat buds and flowers and not mature seed and berries? I have watched females this past summer investigating amongst various types of flower buds including snowberry (Symphoricarpus sp.) herbaceous phlox and the flower buds of Hebe sp. and have so far failed to find any ova although the butterflies were seen to be probing with their ovipositors. Even beating the plants later in the year failed to produce larvae. Although an alternative foodplant for the second brood seems probable, I have failed to find any evidence for it; ivy seems to be the most likely. It is very widespread in my own area and the flower buds can be found from July to late September, and these could support a continuous population of larvae for many weeks hence the large numbers in all stages of growth found this year, and what seems to be a high density of the parasitic wasp. I have found larvae on Dogwood, Holly, Cotoneaster horizontalis, and Alder Buckthorn in early summer. I have suspected Pyracantha buds, as an alternative foodplant but as yet cannot prove it, but in late summer I have only found larvae in and on flower buds of ivy species. A point of interest, my friend Bob Dewick from Bradwell watched butterflies during 1989 laying eggs on Lucerne and bred the odd specimens through to prove it.— D.G. Down, ‘‘Aegeria’’, 16 Wood End CLose, Thundersley, Benfleet, Essex. BRITISH SPECIES OF AMPEDUS 12 NOTES ON, AND A KEY TO, THE OFTEN-CONFUSED BRITISH SPECIES OF AMPEDUS GERM. (COL.: ELATERIDAE), WITH CORRECTIONS OF SOME ERRONEOUS RECORDS A.A. ALLEN 49 Montcalm Road, London SE7 8QG THE MAIN purpose of these notes is to rectify some of the rather numerous errors in identification of the above click-beetles (up to fairly recently always under the generic name of F/ater) in our literature; either where I have been able to see the specimen(s) in question, or where there is overwhelming reason to suspect an error. The group of species concerned is that in which the elytra are wholly bright red, and which so nearly resemble one another that mistakes are very liable to occur. (The very rare species known here up to lately as A. praeustus, from Ireland only, is not included.) Fortunately, our excellent modern guide to the distribution of the Elateridae in Britain, the ‘*Provisional Atlas’” by Howard Mendel (1988), is virtually untouched by these errors, of which Mr Mendel was already aware in contacts with the writer prior to publication. Most of the few additional records given below are incorporated there in the county distribution; here I merely add such details as are known to me, together with any points of interest which present themselves, and a rough-and-ready key to the species considered. First, however, a word of explanation is due. Before these notes appear in print, an important paper by Mr Mendel introducing two name-changes that have been found necessary — cases of mistaken identity — will almost certainly have been published (see the Coleopterist’s Newsletter, Nov. 1989, p.10). Only one of them is of concern here: the familiar A. pomonae of British authors becomes A. quercicola (du Buysson). However, since I shall have occasion to refer rather frequently to records published under the established name pomonae, that name is retained here to avoid complications and possible confusion. Ampedus cardinalis (Schiddte) (= Elater coccinatus Rye, E. praeustus sensu Joy partim). — In 1983, fragments referable to this species, together with young larvae which were probably all or mostly A. balteatus, were dug out of an old standing rotten oak at Scadbury Park, Chislehurst ( near Bromley) by my friend Mr S.A. Williams. They fortunately included part of a pronotum, which securely identified the species; but it is not known whether it still survives there, no larva being reared to maturity. This is the first record of the species in West Kent. In or about 1981 A. cardinalis was discovered by Mr P.M. Hammond and by Mr Mendel about the same time, in some of the old oaks in Richmond Park, Surrey, where it has since been found somewhat freely and very widely — another new county record. The want of earlier records for this locality, so similar to Windsor Great Park where the species also occurs, and well worked last century, is noteworthy; it confirms a suspicion 122 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 [Sev slo I have long entertained, that even primary-forest relicts may wax and wane very markedly over much extended periods of time. These two new localities just south and west of London, with the much older records for Kensington Gardens (Rye), Highgate (in coll. Power), and Waltham Abbey (Pool), make quite a cluster centred on the metropolis. On 15th May, 1950, I found two examples of this species in a dead and decayed oak trunk in Moccas Park, Hereford — incorrectly given in Hallett (1952: 291) as praeustus F., following Beare (1930: 31). Since then it has probably occurred to other collectors, but there was no previous record; it appears to be much rarer in the Park than A. rufipennis. The Sussex record (Joy, 1932) is for Parham Park in the western vice-county: E.C. Bedwell, 1939, and as lately as 1983 by Mr Mendel. A. cinnabarinus (Esch.). — Recorded (as Elater lythropterus Germ.) from near Ashford, East Kent (Chitty) in Fowler & Donisthorpe (1913). I have seen the single specimen in the A.J. Chitty collection on which this record is based, from Eastwell Park near the above town, 5.vi.1906. It is, however, an evident A. rufipennis, thus tying in with other finds of that species in the same district of East Kent — see under A. pomonae. An interesting, because somewhat isolated, new record of cinnabarinus is for North Devon; in 1957 I detected an example in Mr B.L.J. Byerley’s collection which he informed me he had taken at Bratton Fleming, near Ilfracombe, 1.ix.54; and that there was plenty of dead wood about at that time and place, chiefly oak. Notable new county records published in recent years include West Sussex and Monmouthshire. An additional one for Gloucestershire is a specimen from Lower Lydbrook, vi.61 (Frank Clark, per A.W. Gould). Fowler & Donisthorpe, under EF. /ythropterus, have a record “‘Suffolk (Morley)’’. Mr D.R. Nash informed me some years ago that there are no Suffolk cinnabarinus in Claude Morley’s collection, and Mr Mendel has good reason to believe that the record should refer to Tuddenham Fen, W. Suffolk — a matter he is dealing with in a forthcoming paper on the genus in that county. Considering, however, that the species is not certainly known from East Anglia, but that there is a cluster of records of A. pomonae from the fen districts (Cambs and Hunts: Mendel, pp. 18, 21), we think it far likelier that the latter is really the Suffolk species. I have seen specimens almost exactly intermediate between cinnabarinus and pomonae from the New Forest (where both are known from early times) which on external examination it is hardly possible to refer definitely to either; if such specimens are cinnabarinus, they are undersized, with the pronotum less punctured than normally and the pubescence varying or indeterminate in colour; but they appear to grade into the typical state. It may be significant that both species are well established where such individuals occur. Occasional hybridization thus seems possible; the aedeagi are sufficiently alike to be useless for discrimination. Jones (1931) BRITISH SPECIES OF AMPEDUS 123 mentions that the two species were much confused in the W.W. Fowler collection at Nottingham. It need hardly be added that the beetles are perfectly distinct when normally developed; further, the larvae differ more widely and constantly than the adults (van Emden, 1956: 187). A. pomonae (auct. nec Steph.: Mendel. 1990) — The Ampedus known here up to now by this name has, like the last, been recorded in error from East Kent, the actual species being, again, rufipennis: Little Chart, near Ashford, in elm and beech (Hitchings, 1956). A year or two after the late Dr A.M. Massee, who had named this as pomonae, evidently had second thoughts about its identity and submitted a specimen to me, when the mistake became apparent. Only a year earlier the late K.C. Side (Parmenter, 1955) had exhibited as pomonae a specimen from a beech log at Godmersham (22.iv.54). This I have not seen, but in view of the other two finds — all three within the Ashford district — it is scarcely possible to doubt that all alike relate to one and the same species, and that pomonae most probably has not occurred in East Kent. The present species was recorded from Moccas Park by Tomlin (1950: 43), but once more the species turned out to be A. rufipennis — I have examined the specimen, taken in 1933 — and there is so far no genuine record of pomonae for the West Midlands. Those for West Wales and South Scotland cannot be accepted until confirmed. On several occasions during the last two decades Mr D.R. Nash has found A. pomonae, mostly in rotten birch, in the Hamptworth area of South Wiltshire (a county from which it was previously unknown), and kindly sent me an example. In certain East Midland localities there occurs what seems to be a strikingly large race of A. pomonae, which has given rise to much confusion and has been more than once mistaken for A. sanguineus (q.v.); at Sherwood it appears to coexist with the typical race of normal size. Elsewhere I know of it from Northants, where the late B.A. Cooper discovered it at Collyweston in beech trunks or logs in the spring of 1947, in small numbers unaccompanied by typical specimens. It will be found in his collection in Nottingham Museum (Wollaton Hall), and certainly merits investigation. Van Emden (1956: 187) remarks that ‘‘the imagines of pomonae and cinnabarinus . . . are usually found together’’. They do indeed have the same habitat, but in Britain the statement is true only of the New Forest — the sole locality where both occur, as far as we yet know. A. rufipennis (Steph.). — Like the last two species, this has often been involved in error; but with the difference, that whilst it has frequently passed as other species, any records under the name rufipennis are almost sure to be correct. Not until 1925 was it recognised here as a good species, and even up to now the most important character separating it from its allies has not been noticed in British works. Ancient specimens without locality can be found in the older museum collections. It appears doubtful 124 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 whether A. rufipennis has ever occurred in the New Forest — similarly with A. cardinalis. The records are still few and scattered (Mendel, p. 23), with only five county divisions represented; to which one more can now be added. Most of our specimens are from Windsor Forest and Moccas Park, in both of which it has occurred quite freely at times (as it seems may be true also of the East Kent centre). At Windsor its preference for beech is very marked; at Moccas I have found adults in a fallen beech, and larvae in an elm log. The new record — for which I am indebted to Mr P.F. Whitehead, who was so good as to send me an example — is for Worcestershire, where he has met with it in at least three sites in the Pershore district from 1972 onwards, in old pollard ash trees and an elm log. Small individuals of rufipennis can closely resemble pomonae in general shape, sculpture and form of thorax, and all-black pubescence; but if the antennal character (see key) be attended to, no doubt should arise except in very abnormal cases. A. sanguineus (L.). — Our rarest species (if it was ever really indigenous) and probably long extinct; but, as suggested below, it may recur. The sole apparently authentic British specimens at present known, with at least some indication of locality, belong to the first half of last century: one in the BMNH labelled ‘‘Salisbury’’; another in the Manchester Museum collection marked ‘‘New Forest’’ and ‘‘J.R.H.’’ (J. Ray Hardy), teste C. Johnson; and a third in the Dale collection at Oxford. I have examined the first and last of these. The Dale specimen is one of three individually unlabelled but indicated collectively in J.C. Dale’s catalogue as from ‘‘rotten Oak stumps, New Forest, Hants.’’ The other two, however, are only cinnabarinus. Dale gives three dates, of which “‘Apr. 8, 1830’’ seems to apply to the sanguineus specimen. It is not clear whether Fowler’s “‘New Forest’’ for this species was copied from Stephens, whose ‘‘sanguineus’’ was cinnabarinus; in fact the wording rather implies that it was not. My specimen was given me by the late H. Dinnage, who had it from Dr Joy without data; presumably from some old collection (it had been pinned), but it seems strange that Joy had not indicated how he came by it. Records of this species crop up now and then, all apparently false and based on misdeterminations — as Jones (1931) concluded for ‘“sanguineus’’ specimens from Sherwood Forest in the Nottingham Museum collection. Another is entered in the late E.C. Bedwell’s diaries (21.vi - 4.vii.1912) as taken by himself at Sherwood and vouched for as sanguineus by Dr D. Sharp, but queried by Newbery as pomonae. I have little doubt that such records have their source in the large race of A. pomonae already adverted to under that species. The latest record of sanguineus is of one from Silwood Park (near Windsor) in 1967 (Cooper, 1974). The locality, with the fact that the captor gave no hint of how he had arrived at this unlikely determination, convinced me that the species must BRITISH SPECIES OF AMPEDUS V2) be rufipennis — a belief proved correct when, much later, his brother kindly sent me the beetle for checking. A. sanguineus poses something of an enigma in zoogeography: it ranges widely throughout Europe and is regarded as the most generally common of this group in the countries nearest to us. No convincing reason for its virtual absence from Britain suggests itself. Its rediscovery here cannot be ruled out, especially in view of our extensive afforestation with conifers — these being its normal hosts. There follows a short key to more or less typical specimens of the species noticed here. It would be impractical to try to provide for the many possible deviations, and largely self-defeating to enter into great detail where there are so few really fixed points. Most of the characters are necessarily comparative. Though the bright red colour of the elytra is usually well retained, it tends to become duller and browner in very old specimens. Pubescence-colour is often helpful, but exceptions are met with in all the species, pomonae being especially prone to variation in this respect. In general, small specimens have the pronotum less thickly punctured than larger ones. Antennal characters need to be viewed perpendicularly to the flattened surfaces of the segments. 1/2 More parallel-sided; pronotum longer in proportion, less strongly contracted in front, dull, entirely thickly to densely punctate, even near base scarcely or very little less so; elytra as a rule distinctly less bright in colour, rosy-pinkish red, at least when fresh. (Pubescence dark on fore-body, often pale on elytra. NnsBnitamnealways imired=rotenyo aks) merece eee aae-tia. ee cee cardinalis. 2/1 More evidently contracted in front and behind; pronutum shorter in proportion except in sanguineus, more shining, especially in the basal third where it is obviously more diffusely punctate than at sides or in front; elytra more distinctly blood-red to scarlet. 3/4 Antennal segment 3 broad, triangular, similar in shape to (though smaller than) 4, quite unlike 2; male with antennae longer and more serrate than in female, in both sexes distinctly more robust. (Pubescence dark; most like rather large pomonae. Mainly in beech, but also elm, ash, adi binjeh) pn gees Tek a ee eee 2. sae ee rufipennis 4/3 Antennal segment 3 sublinear like 2, and so quite unlike 4; antennae similar in the sexes and more slender, feebly and bluntly serrate (but see under cinnabarinus). 5/6 Central channel of pronotum reaching shallowly almost to front margin (best seen with light coming from side); pronotum more elongate (about as cardinalis), the sides less curved. (Pubescence dark; on average the largest SPECless AbiOdGMlamly IMNpIMe Olek) maces ees eden n-ne cesar sanguineus. 6/5 Pronotum with central channel in basal half or third only, somewhat shorter with sides more curved. 7/8 Basal third of pronotum not so diffusely or finely punctate; pubescence pale. (Usually larger than the next and rather broader; certain males have the antennae distinctly more serrate than usual. Mainly in oak, beech, AIT GOIN C IN) eee ses UM eRe ee RENE Bees 8 osc coiete sles cia eicle Seieie orties evarsia e SragakeiereageNaIataNS So cinnabarinus. 8/7 Basal third of pronotum quite or very diffusely and finely punctate; pubescence normally dark, but not rarely pale on fore parts, where it is often noticeably long and bristly at sides. (Typically the smallest of the group, apart from the large East Midlands race, and rather narrower. Hositheespthe same) sates tte et eens aod, Mrs gclahs ertee tS a pomonae. 126 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 (A. nigrinus (Herbst).) — In my 1966 paper I touched incidentally on the implausible record of this species (which in the west just reaches as far south as Gloucestershire) from Tooting Common, S.W. London, by S. Stevens (Fowler, p.92). Up to a few decades ago some very old oaks survived in this locality, a fact strongly suggesting that the Ampedus taken there by Stevens is far more likely to have been A. nigerrimus Lac. — only definitely known here from Windsor Forest. (The rare chafer Gnorimus variabilis L., now only found at Windsor, used to occur in the Tooting oaks — a further link between the two localities.) The discovery of Stevens’ material, now unlikely, would alone settle the question. Fowler’s record ‘“‘Cobham”’ (/.c.) is also problematic. The Cobham in Surrey (likelier than that in Kent, to judge by Fowler’s customary usage) is on the edge of pine country and so not an impossible area for A. nigrinus to have inhabited in the past. There is no mistaking its attachment to pine in its Highland headquarters (query: was Fowler’s datum ‘‘occasionally in oaks’’ based on British experience, notably that of Stevens?), so it is remarkable that for the Continent, Lohse (1979: 109) does not include conifers among its host trees (“*. . . alder stumps, more seldom oaks and other deciduous trees’’). This could, conceivably, put a different complexion on the old Tooting, Cobham, and Windsor records of nigrinus.) Acknowledgements I thank those friends and colleagues who (formerly or latterly) were kind enough to furnish information, send material, and especially Mr H. Mendel for reading through the manuscript and offering valuable comments. Also the authorities at the British Museum (Natural History), the Hope Department of Entomology, Oxford, and the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, for their willing assistance. References Allen, A.A., 1966. The rarer Sternoxia (Col.) of Windsor Forest. Entomologist’s Rec. J. Var. 78: 14-23. Beare, T.H., 1930. A catalogue of the recorded Coleoptera of the British Isles. London. Cooper, S.H., 1974. New records of Diptera and Coleoptera from Surrey, Berkshire and Herefordshire. Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 110: 84. van Emden, H.F., 1956. Morphology and identification of the British larvae of the genus Elater (Col.: Elateridae). Ibid. 92: 167-188. Fowler, W.W., 1890. The Coleoptera of the British Islands, 4: 88-92. London. Fowler, W.W. & Donisthorpe, H.StJ.K., 1913. Ibid. 6: 274. Hallett, H.M., 1952. The Coleoptera of Herefordshire, first supplement. Hereford. Hitchings, G.J., 1956. Re-occurrence of Elater pomonae Stephens (Col.: Elateri- dae) in Kent. Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 92: 30. Jones, H.P., 1931. On some specimens of Elater sanguineus L. and allied species in the Nottingham Natural History collection of Coleoptera. Ibid. 67: 16-7. BRITISH SPECIES OF AMPEDUS 127 Joy, N.H., 1932. A practical handbook of the British beetles, 1. London. 1 Lohse, G.A. In Freude, H., Harde, K.W. & Lohse, G.A., 1979. Die Kafer Mittel- europas, 6: Krefeld. Mendel, H., 1988. Provisional Atlas of the Click Beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae) of the British Isles. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Grange-over-Sands. Mendel, H., 1990. The status of Ampedus pomonae (Stephens), A. praeustus (F.) and A. quercicola (du Buysson) (Col., Elateridae) in the British Isles. Entomolo- gist ’s Gazette, in press. Parmenter, L., 1955. [London Nat. Hist. Soc. Notice of Exhibits, 2.xi.54.] Entomologist’s mon. Mag. 91: vii. Tomlin, J.R.le B., 1950. The Coleoptera of Herefordshire. Hereford. Homoneura hospes Allen (Dipt.: Lauxaniidae): a postscript. In connection with my recent paper (antea: 101: 199-201) describing this species, Mr Steven J. Falk has very justly pointed out that, because of its possession of a pair of normally well-developed presutural dorsocentral bristles, the new species does not (or only doubtfully) run out to the genus Homoneura using the generic key to the British species of the family by Collin (1948) referred to in my paper. This is indeed the case and ought to have been noted in the latter, but was somehow overlooked by all three of us who originally examined the fly. In actual fact the above fault is inherent in the key as it stands, even without reference to H. hospes; for if one uses it to key out H. limnea Becker, which like hospes possesses a presutural DC bristle (see couplet 8, p.235), the same difficulty, or uncertainty, is encountered. The problem hinges on the character given under couplet 10 (p.226) intended to cover both Sapromyza and Homoneura, but which in fact applies clearly to the former of them alone. I shall not attempt to juggle with the key in order to remove the fault; -_preferring, if it is to be done, to leave the task to someone more qualified and with a better knowledge of our Lauxaniidae. Meanwhile, any known British Homoneura can readily be recognised as such by the three characters given on p.227, couplet 12, in combination (but see under Homoneura on p.235). Indeed it is more than likely that the very clear and definite character relating to the row of small black costal spines (p.227) will itself suffice for generic diagnosis. Should this prove to be so, correction of the key will be much simplified. I am grateful to Mr Falk for bringing the above discrepancy to my notice. — A.A. ALLEN, 49 Montcalm Road, Charlton, London SE7 8QG. Hazel as an important larval foodplant of the Barred Umber, Plagodis pulveraria L. (Lep.: Geometridae) Further to my note on the above (Ent. Rec. 100: 135-136) comparing the frequency of P. pulveraria on birch, hazel and hawthorn, Gerry Haggett (pers. comm.) informs me that in his experience also P. pu/veraria is most numerous and almost entirely found on hazel. In Haggett (1951) he reports 128 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 of Arundel, Sussex that ‘“‘hazel appears to be the first choice hereabouts of Anagoga pulveraria; we could mamage only one from sallow, whereas it was plentiful on hazel.”’ Steve Church (pers. comm.) reported to me a single larva of P. pulveraria which he found on ash Fraxinus excelsior at Kings Park Wood in Surrey and he has subsequently reared the species from egg to adult on ash. A computerised literature search using the NCC Entscape data base which covers the national entomological journals and some local ones back to 1930, produced no papers referring specifically to P. pulveraria or synonyms so I would be interested to receive any additional information on the larval biology of this species. Several correspondents have observed that P. pulveraria is mainly found on ancient woodland sites and I would be interested in any views on this subject and any contradictory data. Ancient woodland sites have been defined as sites known to have had continuous cover since at least 1700 with no periods of grubbing up or ploughing in the intervening centuries (Rackham 1980). References: Haggett, G. 1951. Autumnal moth larvae at Arundel, 1951. Ento- mologist 84: 276-277. Rackham, O. 1980. Ancient woodland, its history, vegetation and uses in England. Arnold, London.— PAULWARING, Nature Conservancy Council, Northumberland House, Peterborough, PEI] 1UA. The non-feeding final instar of Lycophotia porphyrea (D. & S.) (Lep.: Noctuidae) Dr Henwood’s comments (Ent. Rec. 101: 253) on this larva are most interesting. I have no first-hand knowledge of this species, so the suggestion that follows is pure speculation. The larvae of the Phylloc- nistinae (Lep.: Gracillariidae) have a non-feeding final instar in which the mouth-parts are degenerate and a spinneret is developed for the first time (Moths and butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland 2: 364). The purpose of the instar is solely to enable them to spin their cocoons prior to pupation. It is possible that L. porphyrea likewise undergoes a structural change of greater importance than the modification to pattern and colour. If Dr Henwood has another opportunity to rear this species, I suggest that he compares the organs of the head-capsule before and after the final ecdysis.— A.M. EMMET, Labrey Cottage, Victoria Gardens, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3AF. An early Garden Carpet. On the morning of 7th February 1990 I was surprised to find a fresh speci- men of the Garden Carpet, Xanthorhoe fluctuata L., flying in my kitchen in Chelmsford, Essex. Although it is tempting to suggest that the mild win- ter had brought this moth out in advance of its usual appearance in April, the possibility of an undiscovered pupa in the kitchen itself cannot be ignored.— C. PENNEY, 109 Waveney Drive, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 5QA. MICROLEPIDOPTERA REVIEW — 1988 129 MICROLEPIDOPTERA — A REVIEW OF THE YEAR 1988 Compiled by DAVID AGASSIZ 10 High View Avenue, Grays, Essex RM17 6RU. THE SEQUENCE of poor summers was not broken by 1988, and consequently there was a paucity of Lepidoptera recorded. Similar reviews to this are published for Denmark and Sweden and for the first time in 1988 Ingvar Svensson was unable to report a new species for Sweden. Happily that situation has not yet arisen here and there are no less than five additions to the British list, as well as other discoveries of interest. Elachista eskoi Kyrki & Karnoven was taken by the late E.C. Pelham- Clinton as long ago as 1956. He had long recognised it as an undescribed species, but only with the publication of its occurrence in Scandinavia has it obtained a name. First recognised in 1985, the discovery of Batia internella Jackh has now been made public by Dr Michael Harper after the capture of a second specimen. Since it was recognised in Europe several micro- lepidopterists have been on the look-out for this species, and it is surprising that only in Herefordshire should it have been found. A published account is awaited. Gelechia senticetella Staud. which appeared in the compiler’s garden in Grays is one of the increasing number of species whose advent may be linked to the activities of Garden Centres! It is just possible, though perhaps unlikely that it may be able to retain a foothold in Britain. Cydia medicaginis Kuzn. is added thanks to the sharp eyes and experience of the Danish entomologist Ole Karsholt, but it has been resident in this country for many years. It remains to be seen whether it is at all widespread. Sclerocoma acutellus (Eversm.) was taken in Hampshire by D.H. Sterling where it seems conceivable that this secretive species could reside, even though those writing up reports of migrants in this journal lay claim to it! Since the discovery of Scotia adelphella (F.v.R.) last year further specimens have been recognised in collections, which seems to suggest that it is established from Kent to Suffolk, and possibly further west to give rise to the original Wiltshire specimen. The appearance of Argyresthia abdomi- nalis Zell. in north-west Scotland is almost as remarkable as a species new to Britain. It shares the same disjunct distribution as Phalonia rutilana (Hiibn.), but it is hard to imagine what the mountains of Wester Ross have in common with chalk downs of the south-east. In a quite different category is the discovery of the life history of Mompha subdivisella Bradley. This shows that this secretive and hitherto little known species may be quite widespread and even common. I try to draw attention to publications which are a useful source of records and other information. The revised edition of the Field Guide to the Smaller British Lepidoptera edited by A.M. Emmet provides an even more up-to-date account of the known life histories of our micro- 130 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 lepidoptera. This is such a treasury of information that it must do much to further the study of these insects. Two county lists of micros were published in 1988 marking a very encouraging trend: The Smaller Moths of Staffordshire by R.G. Warren and published by the Staffs Biological Recording Scheme is a useful little booklet giving a reliable list of records. Part 3 of the Butterflies and Moths of Derbyshire by F. Harrison & M.J. Sterling is published by the Derbyshire Entomological Society. This too brings together much information that might previously have been difficult to dig out. A list of species recorded on Barra appeared in Ent. Rec. 101: 95 and Migratory species are included in the annual Review of migration in Ent. Rec. 101: 107f and 131-135. Acknowledgements The full systematic list below includes most of the records submitted by recorders and those gleaned from journals. A slightly longer duplicated list is available on request from the compiler. My thanks are always due to the contributors who are identified by their initials: D.J.L. Agassiz, B.R. Baker, R.J. Barnett, H.E. Beaumont, K.P. Bland, K.G.M. Bond, E.S. Bradford, M.F.V. Corley, J.M. Chalmers- Hunt, A.M. Emmet, A.P. Foster, E.F. Hancock, R.J. Heckford, O. Karsholt, J.R. Langmaid, S.M. Palmer, M. Parsons, the late E.C. Pelham- Clinton, C.W. Plant, A.N.B. Simpson, F.H.N. Smith, D.H. Sterling, M.J. Sterling, P.H. Sterling, M.R. Young. SYSTEMATIC LIST MICROPTERIGIDAE 4 Micropterix aruncella (Scop.) — Monawilkin (H33) 23.vi.88, Straduff Bog (H36) 23.vi.88 — KGMB ERIOCRANIIDAE 7 Eriocrania chrysolepidella (Zell.) — Unhill Wood (22) larvae mining Corylus 13.v.88 — BRB; Pelyn Wood, near Lostwithiel (2) mines 23.v.88 — FHNS; Buttler’s Hangings NR (24) larvae v.88 — PHS; Glendine Bridge (H6) 8.iv.88 — KGMB 9 EE. sparrmannella (Bosc) — Magus Muir (85) larva 31.vii.88 — KGMB 10 E. salopiella (Stt.) — Tourig River (85) larva 31.vii.88 — KGMB 11. £. haworthii Bradley — Budby (56) iv.88 — MJS; Curraghbinny (H4) 12 E. sangii (Wood) — Budby (56) iv.88 — MJS NEPTICULIDAE 40 Bohemannia pulverosella (Stt.) — Curraghbinny (H4) mines on Malus sylvestris 28.vi.88 — KGMB 23 Ectoedemia argyropeza (Zell.) — Cloghereen Wood (H2) mines on Populus tremula 24.ix.88; Glenveagh (H35) mines 5.xii.88 — KGMB MICROLEPIDOPTERA REVIEW — 1988 131 28 E. angulifasciella (Stt.) — Chilmark (8) mine on Rosa xi.88 — SMP 42 Fomoria septembrella (Stt.) — Ross Island (H2) mines on Hypericus perforatum 16.ix.88 — KGMB 58 Stigmella ulmariae (Wocke) — Deerfold Wood (37) mines on Filipendula ulmariaix.88 — ANBS 59 S. poterii (Stt.) — Ivinghoe (24) xi.88 empty mines on Poterium sanguisorba — MJS; Lambourn (22) mines x.88 — MFVC 61 S. serrella (Stt.) — Glen Strathfarrar NNR (96), mines ix.88 — MRY 64S. continuella (Stt.) — Glen Strathfarrar NNR (96) and Ariundle NNR (97) mines ix.88 — MRY 72 §S. myrtillella (Marion) — Berrie Dale, Hoy (111) mines 23.ix.88 — R.I. Lorimer 87 S. svenssoni (Johan.) — Bagley Wood (22) 21.vi.88 — MFVC 88 S. samiatella (Zell.) — Maidstone (15) mine ix.86, Petts Wood (16) mines 21.ix.88 — JMC-H, Ent. Rec. 101:39f INCURVARIIDAE 128 Phylloporia bistrigella (Haw.) — Curraghbinny (H4) 26.iv.88; Blackhill Bog (H33) 19.vi.88 — KGMB; Groveley Wood (8) 26.v.88 — SMP 137 Lampronia morosa Zell. — Denaby Ings (63) 11.vi.88 — HEB 138 L. fuscatella (Tengst.) — Bramshott Chase (12) 4 galls 31.iii.88, 1 emerged — JRL 143 Nematopogon metaxella (Hitibn.) — Gearagh (H3) 2.vi.88 — KGMB 145 Nemophora minimella (® D. & S.¥%) — Burgess Hill (14) i.viii.88 — OK 147 N. metallica (Poda) — Wellow (6) 16.vii.88 — DJLA HELIOZELIDAE 156 Heliozela resplendella (Stt.) — Thrunton Woods (68), vili.88 — MRY; Straduff Bog (H36) 23.vi.88 — KGMB PSYCHIDAE 180 Diplodoma herminata (Geoff.) — Colwick (56) Two first year cases vil. & vili.88 — MJS & A.S. Boot TINEIDAE 196 Morophaga choragella ({D. & S.]) — Sherwood Forest (56) several at light 24.vi.88 — HEB; Edwinstone (56) 25.vi.88 (4) — MJS; Milton Keynes (24); Gussetts Wood (24) 17.vili.74; Yardley Chase (32) 6.vill.88 — G.E. Higgs, Ent. Rec. 101: 90 215 Nemapogon granella (Linn.) — Cork City (H5) dead adult 20.ix.88 — KGMB; Grays (18) 2.vii.88 — OK 218 N. variatella (Clem.) — Perth (88) 1868, coll. Buchanan White — KPB, Ent. Rec. 101: 202 132 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 231 Monopis imella (Hiibn.) — Foulney Island (69) 13.vi.88 - T. Dean per EFH 237 Niditinea fuscella (Linn.) — Perth (88) 1869, coll. Buchanan White — KPB, Ent. Rec. 101: 202 238 N. piercella (Bentinck) — Whitstable (15) 12.vii.88 — ESB LYONETIIDAE 260 Leucoptera malifoliella (Costa) — Dinton (8) vacated mine on Crataegus 15.1x.85 — SMP HIEROXESTIDAE 279 Opogona antistacta Meyr. — Borehamwood (20) bred from larva among bananas 1963 — ESB BUCCULATRICIDAE 272 Bucculatrix cidarella Zell. — Correl Glen (H33) 20.vi.88 — KGMB GRACILLARIIDAE 281 Caloptilia populetorum (Zell.) — Petts Wood (16) 27.xi.87, 20 & 23.vili.88 — D. O’Keeffe, Ent. Rec. 101: 64 282 C. elongella (Linn.) — Larvae on Alnus incana — A.S. Boot, Ent. Rec. 101: 166f 284 C. rufipennella (Hiibn.) — Braemore (105) spinnings common 24.vi.88 — JRL & ECP-C 287 C. robustella Jackh — Rhandirmwyn, near Llandovery (44) vi.87 — D. Davies & R.M. Palmer, Ent. Rec. 101: 21 289 C. falconipennella (Htibn.) — Petts Wood (16) bred 19.ix.88 — D. O’ Keeffe, Ent. Rec. 101: 64 292 C. leucapennella (Steph.) — Dinton (8) 5.xii.88 — SMP 297 Calybites auroguttella (Steph.) — Sullane Beg River (H3) 7.v.88 — KGMB 308 Parornix finitimella (Zell.) — Somerford Common (7) mine 23.x.88 — MFVC et al. 321 Phyllonorycter messaniella (Zell.) — Mines in Quercus borealis — A.S. Boot, Ent. Rec. 101: 116 331 P. lanatanella (Schrank) — Chilmark Common (8) mines ’88 — SMP 338 P. cavella (Zell.) — near Canonteign Barton (3) mines on Betula 23.ix.87, em. 8-18.v.88 — RJH 340 P. scopariella (Zell.) — Impstone Plantation (22) 23.vi.88 — BRB 348 P. quinqueguttella (Stt.) — Holy Island (68) vili.88 — MRY 354 P. emberizaepennella (Bouch.) — Kilmelford (98) mines vii.87, moths bred v.88 — MFVC CHOREUTIDAE 387 Prochoreutis sehestediana (Fabr.) — Hurcott Pools (37) 24.viii.88 — ANBS MICROLEPIDOPTERA REVIEW — 1988 133 GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE 394 Glyphipterix forsterella (Fabr.) — Brockhurst Wood, Beaconsfield (24) 12.vi.88 — MFVC DOUGLASIIDAE 399 Tinagma balteolella (F.v.R.) — East Sussex coast (14) 1985 — R. Fairclough, Ent. Rec. 101: 34 - YPONOPEUTIDAE 401 403 406 412 413 416 430 435 439 442 443 447 452 468 472 474 Argyresthia laevigatella (Zell.) — Churchill (6) 28.vi.88 — DJLA; Dinton (8) 20.vi.88 — SMP A. glabratella Zell. — Morecombe Plantation (4) larvae 25.iv.88 em. 25.v.88 — RJH A. abdominalis Zell, — Beinn Eighe (105) one bred from juniper collected 21.vi.88 — ECP-C. New to Scotland. A. pygmaeella (Hiibn.) — Drumclure (H30) 25.vi.88 — KGMB A. sorbiella (Treits.) — Letterbarrow (69) 24.vi.88 — EFH A. glaucinella Zell. — Uphams Plantation, near Yettington (3) ex 1. in bark of Castanea sativa 25.v.88 — RJH; Glen Strathfarrar NNR (96) v1.88 — MRY Yponomeuta plumbella ({D. & S.]) — Groveley Wood (8) 1.viii.88 — SMP. Zelleria hepariella Stt. — Latterbarrow (69) 7.vili.88 — EFH; Roudsea Wood (69) bred from pupa on Euonymus, on which the larva ‘ appeared to have fed, new foodplant, em. 28.vii.88 — EFH. Swammerdamia compunctella H.-S. — Mochrum (74) one at mv light 29.vi.88 — JRL & ECP-C; Inverlael (105) 5.viii.88 — S. Nash Savernake Forest (7) 17.vi.88 — MFVC etc. Cedestis gysseleniella Zell. — Roudsea Wood NNR (69) 26.viii.88 — EFH C. subfasciella (Steph.) — Beinn Eighe (105) 11.vii.88 — S. Nash Roeslerstammia erxlebella (Fabr.) — Rannoch (88) em. 15.v.88 — KPB Ypsolopha nemorella (Linn.) — Inverlussa, Jura (102) 23.vili.86 — MFVC Rhigognostis incarnatella (Steud.) Dhoon Glen (71) 26.vii.88 — KGMB Digitivalva pulicariae (Klim.) — Curraghbinny (H4) 26.iv.88 — KGMB Acrolepiopsis betulella (Curt.) — Glasdrum NNR (98) ix.88 — MRY; Distribution in v-cs 105, 83, 98 — MRY, Ent. Gaz. 40: 101-2 EPERMENIIDAE 479 Cataplectica farreni Wals. — Swyncombe Downs (23) larvae abundant in seeds of Pastinaca sativa, viii.88 — PHS 134 ENTOMOLOGIST’S RECORD, VOL. 102 15.v.1990 COLEOPHORIDAE 487 Metriotes lutarea (Haw.) — West Wycombe (24) v.88 — PHS 491 Coleophora gryphipennella (Htibn.) — Lein of Garmouth (95) bred ex cases vi.88 — MRY; Malahide Point (H21) 18.vi.88 — KGMG 493 C. serratella (Linn.) — Faringdon (22) case on cultivated apple — MFVC 496 C. milvipennis Zell. — Ariundle NNR (97) cases 1x.88 — MRY 498 C. alnifoliae Bar. — Padworth (22) 4.v.88 old case from A/nus — BRB 503 C. fuscocuprella H.-S. — Carran (H9) 15.vi.88 — KGMB 509 C. violacea (Strom) — near Kingsmoor Cross (4) case on Betula 23.ix.87, em. 24.5.88 — RJH 511 C. orbitella Zell. — Whixhall Moss (40) 2 cases on Betula 1.vii.88 — JRL & ECP-C 513 C.