Review of 2019 and 2020 - Heteropteran Bugs

HETEROPTERAN BUGS (HEMIPTERA: HETEROPTERA)

The order Hemiptera is split into sub-orders - in this section I shall just deal with Heteroptera; I'll deal with Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers and allies) and Sternorrhyncha (Aphids, Whiteflies, Scale Insects and Psyllids) later.

My interest in bugs was piqued when I caught an unfamiliar and unremarkable-looking bug in my moth trap in Cornwall in October 2014.  Given the site and conditions (on the far SW coast in strong southerly winds) and the species of moths caught (high proportion of migrants) I thought it might be worth trying to find out what the bug was.  I figured out that it was a Damsel Bug (Nabidae), a family with several very common representatives, none of which I had ever previously knowingly seen or identified, but couldn't find a match.  I asked Tristan Bantock who asked me to send it to him and subsequently confirmed that it was Nabis capsiformis, and the first record for Britain!

Since then I've been slowly increasing my efforts with this group and am now at least attempting to identify every bug I come across (mostly in the moth trap, but picking up a few more by a little light sweeeping here and there).  I'm grateful to Tristan not only for the initial introduction but for occasional help via Twitter and for pointing me to some great resources, not least his (and Joe Botting's) hugely impressive British Bugs website which I must now use hundreds of times every year.

The bugs section of this review covers 12 pages - if you want to look through them all then start here and follow the "Next page" links at the bottom of each page to move through.  Alternatively you can use the hyperlinks (orange text) below to jump straight to the families you're interested in.  For many other groups in this wildlife review I've included "nil returns" for species that ought to occur here but I didn't record in 2019-20.  With bugs I haven't yet developed a good enough understanding of the local status of the various species to be able to do this, but I have included mention of all the species that I have personally recorded here and at the meadows in previous years.

I always welcome feedback, especially if any errors have crept in.  Please get in touch if you think anything needs looking at again, or if you can clear up any of the unanswered questions.

• Acanthosomatidae (Keeled Shieldbugs)

early instar Hawthorn Shieldbug

• Coreidae (Squashbugs)

Box Bug

• Cynidae (Borrowing Shieldbugs)

Pied Shieldbug

• Pentatomidae (Typical Shieldbugs)

Small Grass Shieldbug

• Rhopalidae (Rhopalid Bugs)

Stictopleurus punctatonervosus

• Scutelleridae (Tortoise Shieldbugs)

Tortoise Shieldbug

• Anthocoridae (Flower Bugs)

Temnostethus pusillus

• Lygaeidae (Ground Bugs)

European Chinchbug Ischnodemus sabuleti

• Miridae (Plant Bugs):


• Tribes Dicyphini and Deraeocorini
  

Macrolophus rubi

• Tribe Mirini (A-O)
  

Orthops campestris

• Tribe Mirini (P-S)
  

Striped Oak Bug Rhabdomiris striatellus

• Tribes Stenodemini and Halticini
  

Halticus luteicollis

• Tribe Orthotylini
  

Malacocoris chlorizans

• Tribe Phylini (A to O)
  

Macrotylus paykulli - new for me in 2020

• Tribe Phylini (P)
  

Psallus falleni

• Nabidae (Damsel Bugs)

Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides

• Reduviidae (Assassin Bugs)

Fly Bug Reduvius personatus

• Corixidae (Water Boatmen)

Paracorixa concinna - new for me in 2020

• Gerridae (Pondskaters)

unidentified Pondskater Gerris sp.

Review of 2019 and 2020 - Bugs: Damsel Bugs, Assassin Bugs, Water Boatmen and Pondskaters

DAMSEL BUGS (NABIDAE)


Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus - I found my first on Broom (under Oaks) at the Cathedral Meadows on 7th August 2019 and followed this up with one to light at Row Heath (West Runton) on 31st August and one in my garden moth trap on 21st September, then another one in the garden on 1st August 2020.

Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 7th August 2019

Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus, North Elmham, 21st September 2019

Tree Damsel Bug Himacerus apterus, North Elmham, 1st August 2020

Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides - Having first seen this species in Cornwall in 2018 I found one resting on a tree trunk at the meadows on 13th February 2019 and one on a wooden gate there on 8th November 2020.

Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 13th February 2019

Ant Damsel Bug Himacerus mirmicoides, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th November 2020

Field Damsel Bug Nabis ferus - I eventually found this, the commonest (?), or at least one of the commonest, species of damsel bug at the meadows in 2018.  I added it to my garden bug list on 9th August 2019 when I caught one in my moth trap and then had a crop of 4 here between 7th August and 8th September 2020.

Field Damsel Bug Nabis ferus, North Elmham, 9th August 2019

Field Damsel Bug Nabis ferus, North Elmham, 7th September 2020

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ASSASSIN BUGS (REDUVIIDAE)


Empicoris vagabundus - I briefly saw what I am fairly sure was this species in my moth trap on 10th August 2020 but frustratingly managed to lose it before confirming what I was seeing.  Would have been my first. 


Fly Bug Reduvius personatus - Singles in (or on) my moth trap on 1st and 23rd June 2019 and then 2 on 29th June.  None in 2020.  I didn't have any in 2018 but had 2 in 2016 and 4 in 2017.

Fly Bug Reduvius personatus, North Elmham, 1st June 2019

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WATER BOATMEN (CORIXIDAE)

Frustratingly many of the Water Boatmen I find coming to light are females which cannot be identified to species.  I haven't detailed those below.


Callicorixa praeusta - A male to light at the Cathedral Meadows on 30th June 2019, 2 males among several water boatmen to light there on 15th September.  Then in 2020 singles to light there on 18th July and 8th September 2020.

male Callicorixa praeusta, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 15th September 2019

male Callicorixa praeusta, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020

Hesperocorixa sahlbergi - One in my garden moth trap on 31st July 2020, the first time I've recorded this species.

male Hesperocorixa sahlbergi, North Elmham, 31st July 2020 - showing its right paramere

Paracorixa concinna - One to LEDs at Bintree Wood on 24th July 2020, the first time I've identified this species.

male Paracorixa concinna, Bintree Wood, 24th July 2020

Sigara dorsalis - None.  I caught this species at home in 2017.


Sigara falleni - One in the garden moth trap on 17th July 2020.  I caught this species here before in 2017.

male Sigara falleni, North Elmham, 17th July 2020

Sigara lateralis - Singles came to light on 23rd June and 8th September 2020, the first time I've recorded this species.

male Sigara lateralis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020

male Sigara lateralis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020

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PONDSKATERS (GERRIDAE)

Given their habit of staying on the surface of water just out of reach I'm yet to catch a pondskater in order to give it close enough examination to identify to species.  At the meadows Pondskaters seen in the ditch running alongside the railway on 24th April and 19th August 2020.

unidentified Pondskater Gerris sp., North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 24th April 2020

Review of 2019 and 2020 - Bugs: Plant bugs - part 7: Phylini II (Phoenicocoris to Psallus)

PLANT BUGS (MIRIDAE) (continued)


Tribe PHYLINI (continued)


Phoenicocoris obscurellus - One in my garden moth trap on 13th July 2019, my second record here following one in 2018.

Phoenicocoris obscurellus, North Elmham, 13th July 2019

Phylus coryli - One in the garden on 25th June 2020 came to a pheremone lure trap for Yellow-legged Clearwing.  I caught 5 in my moth trap in 2017-18 but none recorded in 2019.

Phylus coryli, North Elmham, 25th June 2020

Phylus melanocephalus - I gather that 'Phylus palliceps' is now considered to be a variety of Phylus melanocephalus and not a separate species - both forms occur here though the orange-headed palliceps type are commoner than the original black-headed melanocephalus.  Singles caught in my garden moth trap on 24th June and 16th July 2019 (both palliceps-type) and 7 between 11th June and 4th July 2020 (3 palliceps-type and 4 traditional melanocephalus).  Also a black-headed one swept off Broom at the meadows on the earlier date of 1st June 2020.

Phylus melanocephalus, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

Phylus melanocephalus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June 2020

Phylus melanocephalus, North Elmham, 12th June 2020

Plagiognathus arbustorum - One in my moth trap on 24th June 2019 was new for my garden; another here (found indoors) on 6th July 2020.  The same day as the latter one on St John's Wort at the meadows and then one there on Hogweed on 20th July.

Plagiognathus arbustorum, North Elmham, 24th June 2019

Plagiognathus arbustorum, North Elmham, 6th July 2020

Plagiognathus arbustorum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 6th July 2020

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi - One swept at the meadows on 20th July 2020, my second record of this species.  Then a week later one in the garden moth trap, my first here.

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 20th July 2020

Plagiognathus chrysanthemi, North Elmham, 27th July 2020

Psallus falleni - 4 males in the garden moth trap between 10th and 17th August 2020.  I'd only identified this species once before (2018) but I think I have overlooked it in the past (as I think I did for what was almost certainly another one on 8th August 2020 - misidentified at the time due to a contradiction in the reference I was using regarding the width of pale at the base of the cuneus).

Psallus falleni, North Elmham, 12th August 2020 - showing aedeagus in second photo

Psallus falleni, North Elmham, 14th August 2020

Psallus flavellus - None.  I identified this species in my garden in 2018.


Psallus haematodes - One at the meadows on 22nd August 2019 and one in the garden moth trap on 1st August 2020 - I've had 1-2 here before in 2016 and 2018.

Psallus haematodes, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 22nd August 2019

Psallus haematodes, North Elmham, 1st August 2020

Psallus perrisi - I identified 3 of these from my garden and 1 from the meadows in 2018 but haven't found any males since.  Some female perrisi/wagneri were found in 2020 - see under wagneri below.


Psallus varians - I had thought this was the commonest Psallus here in the past but in 2020 when I realised I'd been confused by the contradiction in my reference over Psallus falleni, I reviewed my previous records (only from photos as I didn't keep the specimens).  I think some of them are probably fine but several look like they may have been misidentified and so I'm now considering the latter unproven.  Anyway, I had identified 5 here (all to light) in 2019 but am now only leaving one of those records standing, that from 1st June.  I've also reviewed the 11 I had recorded here in 2018 and deleted 5 of those (but the other 6 look good).  Some of those I've deleted may well have been correctly identified but others were probably falleni.  Only one identified here in 2020, on 24th June, and I think I may have identified that one before realising the problem with falleni, so am excluding that one from the records too (it looks a bit doubtful from the photo).  The same applies to my first record from the meadows in 2020 but those on 27th May and 23rd June were processed after I was aware of the problem and I think these are fine (the latter was a male, gen detted).

Psallus varians, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

Psallus varians, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 23rd June 2020 - showing aedeagus in second photo

Psallus wagneri - Female bugs at the meadows on 27th May (3) and 13th June 2020 were either this species or Psallus perrisi.  I did have a confirmed perrisi here in 2018 but the only fully identified record of this duo from the meadows in 2020 was my first confimred male wagneri, on Broom (under Oak) on 1st June.

Psallus wagneri, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 1st June 2020 - showing slightly different orientations of the aedeagus in second and third photos

Next page: Nabidae