Review of 2019 and 2020 - Scorpionflies (Mecoptera) and Alderflies (Megaloptera)

SCORPIONFLIES (MECOPTERA)


Snow Flea Boreus hyemalis - None.  I've never seen a Snow Flea and they aren't often recorded in Norfolk.  Not sure there's a very high chance of finding one here but you never know...


Panorpa cognata - None.  I've never seen this species but there are a few widespread records from Norfolk so hopefully I'll bump into one before long.


Panorpa communis - Just 2 confirmed records of this species in 2019 and 2 in 2020, all from the Cathedral Meadows: a male on 21st June and a female on 29th June 2019 and 2 males on 3rd June 2020.  In addition a female on 3rd August 2019 was considered perhaps to be this species based on its wing pattern, but it did not allow capture to confirm.

female Panorpa communis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 29th June 2019

male Panorpa communis, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd June 2020

Panorpa germanica - 4 recorded at the meadows between 30th April and 25th May 2019 (the last to light) and one on Mull on 9th June.  Then in the autumn a small example to light at Swanton Great Wood on 27th August and another at the meadows on 3rd September.  In 2020 only recorded at the meadows where 4 between 9th and 27th May and 3 between 12th August and 8th September.  Quite a bit of variation in the wing pattern and a few showing distinctly yellow-tinged wings (especially but not exclusively involving the later individuals in August/September).

male Panorpa germanica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2019

male Panorpa germanica, Druimsornaig Cemetery, Mull, 9th June 2019

male Panorpa germanica, Swanton Great Wood, 27th August 2019 (showing genital capsule in second photo)

female Panorpa germanica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 3rd September 2019 (showing genital plate in second photo)

male Panorpa germanica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May 2020 (showing genital capsule in second photo)

female Panorpa germanica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 25th May 2020

female Panorpa germanica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 27th May 2020

male Panorpa germanica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 8th September 2020

I don't yet have enough data to draw any firm conclusions about flight periods, but tentatively it seems that both species have two generations and that germanica has a longer gap between them, the first one being earlier than communis and the second later.  But I need a bit more data before being remotely confident about this.

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ALDERFLIES (MEGALOPTERA)


Sialis lutaria - As far as I know this is the only species of Alderfly that has been confirmed to occur in Norfolk although the other 2 species have been reported in the past (and subsequently considered unacceptable).  In any case it is the only species of Alderfly that I've seen so far.  I'd only identified one to species level before but found 4 individuals (all males) at the Cathedral Meadows in 2019.  Singles on 8th, 21st and 30th April were all found on Broom growing next to a dyke and I think the fourth on 15th May was in the same area.  Then in 2020 there were at least 3 Alderflies on the bridge over the dyke by the railway there on 24th April, one of which I potted off the metal railings and confirmed was as a male lutaria. 

Sialis lutaria, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 21st April 2019

Sialis lutaria, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 24th April 2020

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SNAKEFLIES (RAPHIDIOPTERA)

I am not normally including orders in this review that I haven't recorded, but as for other Neuroptera and related orders I have included (or will be including) "nil returns" for species that I think have a reasonable chance of turning up round here, it seems fitting to at least mention the Snakeflies.  I've never seen any species of Snakefly and therefore won't cover them here in detail, but suffice to say for now that there are, I think, 4 species on the Norfolk list and judging from a recent Twitter conversation with Andy M and others it sounds like there's a strong possibility of finding at least one or two of them before too long.  I hope so anyway!

Abundant rarely-recorded waxflies

I headed up to the Cathedral Meadows early on Saturday 12th May.  One striking feature was the abundance of Waxflies flying alongside the hedgerows.  There are several species of Waxfly and most are poorly recorded (which is presumably how I added two species to the Norfolk list from my garden last year).  Several can only be identified if they are male, so I retained enough to be reasonably confident that I would have males from each of the two tetrads I was covering.  In the end they were all males and they all proved to be Coniopteryx tineiformis, a very poorly-recorded species.  I had one at home in 2016 but prior to that there was just one record in Norfolk.  I have noticed early morning waxflies flying around hawthorns elsewhere at this time of year before - I bet this is actually a very common and widespread species that simply isn't recorded.  I don't suppose there are all that many people out at five in the morning with nets who are prepared to catch waxflies and examine their genitalia.  Quite odd really - I wonder why not?
 

Coniopteryx tineiformis (males, gen det), Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

There were also a few moths flying around including Common Thorn Midget Phyllonorycter oxyacanthae, Beech Midget Phyllonorycter maestingella, 5 Horse Chestnut Leaf-miners Cameraria ohridella, 2 Pearled Dwarfs Elachista apicipunctella and Little Mompha Mompha raschkiella.

Pearled Dwarf Elachista apicipunctella, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

Little Mompha Mompha raschkiella, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

This Scorpion Fly is another Panorpa germanica.

Parnorpa germanica, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

I think this springtail is Pogonognathellus longicornis, though it's quite a bit smaller than they can get, the antennae were only fractionally longer than the body and the filaments on the empodia (is that the pluaral of empodium?) weren't quite as long as they're supposed to be.  On the scarcer flavescens the antennae should be shorter than the body and the empodium shorter than the claw, neither of which were the case, quite.  I think the similar Tomocerus species have less tapered antennae and spines on the inside of the dens which I couldn't see, but I'm basing this primarily on the descriptions of the 4 Tomocerid species at Naturespot, and I'm not 100% sure there aren't any other contenders I should rule out (or in).

Pogonognathellus longicornis, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

I have struggled a bit using the key to land snails but decided to put a bit more effort in this year as I'm trying to record as many different taxa as possible at the meadows.  Today I identified White-lipped Snail, Strawberry Snail (both of which I had identified before) and Copse Snail (which was entirely new to me).

 Copse Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

White-lipped Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

Strawberry Snail, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

As I understand it these slugs can't be identified to either Great Red Slug or Great Black Slug without dissection and examination of their genitalia.  For some reason looking at a slug's naughty bits is somehow less appealing than looking at a moth or waxfly's naughty bits...

Great Red Slug or perhaps Great Black Slug, Cathedral Meadows, 12th May

Small Yellow Underwings

A wander round the Cathedral Meadows on Wednesday 9th was productive.  The day-flying moths were particularly interesting, especially the Small Yellow Underwings that I found in two of the meadows.  There are no previous records from this 10km square and they're the first ones I've ever seen anywhere where I hadn't already known they occurred.

Small Yellow Underwing, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

Other nice moths, both also seen at two different parts of the meadows, were Feathered Leaf-cutter Incuvaria masculella and Sulphur Tubic Esperia sulphurella.  Horse-Chestnut Leaf-miners Cameraria ohridella continue to fly.

Feathered Leaf-cutter Incurvaria masculella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

Horse-chestnut Leaf-miner Cameraria ohridella, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

There were 3 Large Red Damselflies, the Scorpion Fly Panorpa germanica, and a variety of butterflies including Green-veined Whites, Orange-tips, Brimstone and Speckled Woods.

Large Red Damselfly, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

Panorpa germanica, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

Bugs and beetles included 2 Dock Bugs and 2 Byturus ochraceus, the latter feeding on a Dandelion head.

Dock Bug, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

Byturus ochraceus, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

I didn't retain any hoverflies for checking this time, although this Leucozona lucorum was distinctive enough to identify in the field.

Leucozona lucorum, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

There was a Dark-edged Bee-fly and among the real bees were Common Carder Bee, Orange-tailed Mining Bee Andrena haemorrhoa and Buffish Mining Bee Andrena nigroaenea.  The latter looked suspiciously like the bee I identified as Large Gorse Mining Bee at home the other day, though keyed out very differently.  Can't help wondering if I made a mistake with the gorse one.

Buffish Mining Bee Andrena nigroaenea, North Elmham Cathedral Meadows, 9th May

When I got home this very distinctive beetle Ptinus sexpunctatus appeared on my study window.

Ptinus sexpunctatus, North Elmham, 9th May

Another good haul

Insects at Ryburgh on 16th May included the Scorpion Fly Panorpa germanica, the click beetle Dalopius marginatus and a Silver-ground Carpet.  I then found myself heading up to Walsey Hills at Cley to see an Iberian Chiffchaff noticing Green Long-horn Adela reaumurella, Orange-tips and Holly Blues while I was enjoying the Iberian Chiff.

Panorpa germanica (female, gen det), Ryburgh, 16th May

That night was another good one with Hawthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix bechsteinella new for the house.

Hawthorn Bent-wing Bucculatrix bechsteinella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 16th May

Like the previous night a high proportion of the species recorded were new for the year: Oak Bent-wing Bucculatrix ulmella, 2 Ribwort Slenders Aspilapteryx tringipennella, Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella, Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella, Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, Common Swift, Maiden's Blush, Common Marbled Carpet, Broken-barred Carpet, Small Rivulet, Mottled Pug, Pebble Prominent, Chocolate-tip and 2 Orange Footmen.

 Oak Bent-wing Bucculatrix ulmella (male, gen det), North Elmham, 16th May

Ribwort Slender Aspilapteryx tringipennella, North Elmham, 16th May

Blackthorn Slender Parornix torquillella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 16th May

Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella, North Elmham, 16th May

Small Clover Case-bearer Coleophora alcyonipennella (female, gen det), North Elmham, 16th May

Common Grey Scoparia ambigualis, North Elmham, 16th May

Garden Pebble Evergestis forficalis, North Elmham, 16th May

Common Marbled Carpet, North Elmham, 16th May

Broken-barred Carpet, North Elmham, 16th May

Small Rivulet, North Elmham, 16th May

Mottled Pug, North Elmham, 16th May

Pebble Prominent, North Elmham, 16th May

Chocolate-tip, North Elmham, 16th May

Orange Footman, North Elmham, 16th May

Other species were 3 Little Dwarfs Elachista canapennella, 2 Fen Flat-bodies Depressaria ultimella, Common Birch Bell Epinotia immundana, 2 Bee Moths Aphomia sociella, 2 Chinese Characters, 2 Red Twin-spot Carpets, 5 Green Carpets, Currant Pug, 7 Common Pugs, 2 Oak-tree Pugs, 8 Brimstone Moths, 2 Scalloped Hazels, 3 Waved Umbers, White-pinion Spotted, Poplar Hawk-moth, Pale Prominent, Pale Tussock, White Ermine, 2 Shuttle-shaped Darts and 2 Treble Lines.

This beetle proved to be Cantharis cryptica.

Cantharis cryptica, North Elmham, 16th May

The caddisfly Micropterna lateralis was new for the house while 2 Hydropsyche siltalai were new for the year.  Other caddis were 2 Glyphotaelius pellucidus and Limnephilus sparsus.

Micropterna lateralis (male), North Elmham, 16th May

Hydropsyche siltalai (female), North Elmham, 16th May