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

Lacewing larvae and other interesting insects

On 18th July I spent the evening at the meadows where I found a few insects worth noting.  Butterflies included 2 Purple Hairstreaks.  Bugs included Hairy Shieldbug, a couple of Potato Capsids Closterotomus norwegicus and my first Field Damsel Bug Nabis ferus.  Also the leafhopper Alebra albostriella.

Hairy Shieldbug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Potato Capsid Bugs Clostertomus norwegicus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Field Damsel Bug Nabis ferus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Alebra albostriella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

There were a couple more Broom Leaf Beetles on the Broom:

Broom Leaf Beetle, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

I took home a couple of lacewings to check their ID - the green one was Dichrochrysa flavifrons and the brown one was Hemerobius micans.  I didn't get to them straight away and by the time I did the Dichochrysa must have laid egss and these had already hatched, as there were one or two larvae running around in the pot with it.  Interesting to see these without a covering of debris as they would have if they were in the wild.

Dichochrysa flavifrons, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Dichochrysa flavifrons larva, 30th July (from above adult caught North Elmham Cathedral Meadows on 18th July)

Hemerobius micans, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

I stayed at the meadows until dark fell and looked for moths with my torch around dusk, finding 2 Clover Case-bearers Coleophora alcyonipennella, Orange Crest Helcystogramma rufescens, Knapweed Conch Agapeta zoegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, White-foot Bell Epiblema foenella, Garden Grass-veneer Chrysoteuchia culmella, 40 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, Common Grass-veneer Agriphila tristella, Pearl Grass-veneer Catoptria pinella, 2 Pale Straw Pearls Udea lutealis, 9 Six-spot Burnets, Least Carpet, 2 Small Fan-footed Waves, 2 Yellow Shells, Dingy Footman and Silver Y. Also a Common Blue butterfly roosting.

Least Carpet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Six-spot Burnet, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

Common Blue, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 18th July

I'd also found a leaf-mine on an Apple that I suspect belonged to Pear-leaf Blister Moth Leucoptera malifoliella.  My photo didn't come out very well though and I'm not entirely sure, and couldn't find it again when I returned later on.  That's a species of moth I've not seen before so I'll have to look out for these again next year.

Quite a few moths at home that night too, with over 400 moths of 98 species, 7 of which were new for the year: Spotted Black Pigmy Ectoedemia subbimaculella*, Bordered Carl Coptotriche marginea, Sloe Midget Phyllonorycter spinicolella, Obscure Neb Bryotropha similis, Brown Elm Bell Epinotia abbreviana, 2 Ear Moths and Fen Wainscot. 

*I won't formally record the Ectoedemia subbimaculella because heringi and hannoverella can be very similar on external and internal features, so I do not consider the identification to be 100% positive.  Indeed I have recently deleted my three records of Ectoedemia hannoverella from last year which I now consider were more likely to be subbimaculella.  It may be possible to separate these on genitalia but from the images on the Dissection Group website I am not clear which differences, if any, are reliable.

probable Spotted Black Pigmy Ectoedemia subbimaculella, North Elmham, 18th July

Sloe Midget Phyllonorycter spinicollela (female, gen det), North Elmham, 18th July

Obscure Neb Bryotropha similis (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th July

Ear Moth (male, gen det), North Elmham, 18th July

Fen Wainscot, North Elmham, 18th July

The other moths were 2 Bird’s-nest Moths Tinea trinotella, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 10 Bird-cherry Ermines Yponomeuta evonymella, Ermine sp. Yponomeuta padella/malinellus/cagnagella, Hawthorn Ermine Paraswammerdamia nebulella, Little Dwarf Elachista canapennella, Golden-brown Tubic Crassa unitella, 2 Small Dingy Tubics Borkhausenia fuscescens, 2 Brown House Moths Hofmannophila pseudospretella, Cinerous Neb Bryotropha terrella, Gorse Crest Brachmia blandella, 3 Orange Crests Helcystogramma rufescens, Four-spotted Obscure Oegoconia quadripuncta (and another Oegoconia sp. that got away), 2 Dingy Dowds Blastobasis adustella, Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix Pandemis heparana, Red-barred Tortrix Ditula angustiorana, Grey Tortrix Cnephasia stephensiana, Flax Tortrix Cnephasia asseclana, 2 Garden Rose Tortrixes Acleris variegana, Common Marble Celypha lacunana, Nut-bud Moth Epinotia tenerana, Holly Tortrix Rhopobota naevana, 2 Hoary Bells Eucosma cana, 2 Many-plume Moths Alucita hexadactyla, 4 Garden Grass-veneers Chrysoteuchia culmella, 2 Inlaid Grass-veneers Crambus pascuella, 202 Straw Grass-veneers Agriphila straminella, 2 Common Grass-veneers Agriphila tristella, 2 Pearl Grass-veneers Catoptria pinella, Chequered Grass-veneer Catoptria falsella, 2 Water Veneers Acentria ephemerella, 2 Little Greys Eudonia lacustrata, 2 Small Greys Eudonia mercurella, Ringed China-mark Parapoynx stratiotata, 3 Small Magpies Anania hortulata, Elder Pearl Anania coronata, Pale Straw Pearl Udea lutealis, 9 Mother of Pearls Pleuroptya ruralis, Rosy Tabby Endotricha flammealis, Bee Moth Aphomia sociella, Grey Knot-horn Acrobasis advenella, Dotted Oak Knot-horn Phycita roborella, 3 Ash-bark Knot-horns Euzophera pinguis, Common Plume Emmelina monodactyla, Chinese Character, 4 Least Carpets, 14 Small Fan-footed Waves, 7 Single-dotted Waves, 7 Riband Waves, Red Twin-spot Carpet, Large Twin-spot Carpet, Shaded Broad-bar, 2 July Highflyers, Small Rivulet, 2 Slender Pugs, Currant Pug, V-Pug, 3 Double-striped Pugs, 6 Clouded Borders, 3 Brimstone Moths, 2 Early Thorns, 2 Scalloped Oaks, Peppered Moth, 5 Willow Beauties, Elephant Hawk-moth, Coxcomb Prominent, 6 Yellow-tails, 2 Rosy Footmen, 13 Dingy Footmen, 8 Scarce Footmen, 28 Common Footmen, 3 Buff Ermines, 2 Ruby Tigers, 6 Double Square-spots, Dot Moth, Antler Moth, Clay, 5 Smoky Wainscots, Common Wainscot, 2 Knot Grasses, 2 Dun-bars, 6 Dark Arches, Cloaked Minor, 4 Common Rustics, Dusky Sallow, 23 Uncertains, 3 Rustics, 2 Nut-tree Tussocks, Beautiful Hook-tip, 2 Snouts and 2 Fan-foots.

Slender Pug, North Elmham, 18th July

A new species of caddisfly is always noteworthy nowadays and there was one in the trap this night: Hydropsyche instabilis.   There were also Hydropsyche pellucidula, Mottled Sedge Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus marmoratus.

Hydropsyche instabilis (female), North Elmham, 18th July

There was also a new bug for me, Macrotylus horvathi.

Macrotylus horvathi, North Elmham, 18th July

And also a new barkfly, Metylophorus nebulosus, making it an altogether very successful night's trapping.

Metylophorus nebulosus, North Elmham, 18th July

There were also 3 Blue-winged Olives Serratella ignita, and beetles included Nicrophorus investigator and Orange Ladybird.