The Ghost had a meeting to attend, leaving me to my own devices for the day. I headed west, into the New Forest. The weather forecast didn't look too great, I hoped the worst would miss me as I hid out beneath dense tree cover
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| Thought I'd left the rain up in Skye.... |
I headed for Rufus Stone, I've been here just twice before and remembered mature Beech trees interspersed with Holly bushes and plenty of leaf-litter underfoot. Within a few minutes, I was geared up in waterproofs and pulling loose bark from a large fallen Beech
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| I spent over an hour searching this one small area |
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| Plenty of large cranefly larvae beneath loose bark - Tanyptera or Ctenophora perhaps? |
I spent some time sieving the wet leaf litter. Amongst the masses of springtails were a few staphylinids which I pooted up for closer inspection. There were also a few small flies which also disappeared up the pooter, none of which I've been able to identify beyond family level (one sciarid and three sphaerocerids). I managed to identify all of the beetles apart from one which currently defeats me.
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| Stenus impressus - this is a male with spurs on the mid and hind tibia |
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| The tiny spur is just about visible on the inside edge of the tibia |
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| Xantholinus gallicus |
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| Lathrobium terminatum |
I also managed to sieve a Wood Cricket from leaf litter, an unexpected delight as it leapt around my tray like a mad thing. I popped it back unharmed. Eventually my fingers became too cold for comfort and I headed back to the car for warmth and then civilisation once more.
Not sure yet what the plans are for tomorrow, guess you'll just have to stay tuned yet again!
Beetles! Nice. I find the microsculpture feature on Xantholinus a bit hit and miss. I ended up taking my specimens to NHM to compare. Stenus impressus is the one that seems to turn up in places other Stenus never reach.
ReplyDeleteWell...using Lott it seems to run pretty smoothly to gallicus and the entire upperside of the head is microsculptured apart from the frons itself which is noticeably blacker and glossy looking. So, in this instance, I'm happy with the ID. It's the first Xantholinus I've found, doubtless I'll have others I'm less sure of in the future!
DeleteThis weather is doing my head in. Hope it doesn't impact you too badly
ReplyDeleteWell I've yet to see any flies larger than about 2mm (and those were from leaf litter sieving!) so it's not quite the flyfest I was initially anticipating, that's for sure.
DeleteYou've been very lucky to find Xantholinus gallicus as your first Xantholinus. I've got 213 records of linearis, 188 of longiventris and 4 of gallicus. But one of those is from Denny Wood, so you're in the right area.
ReplyDeleteVery lucky or, more likely, just plain inept. I'm kinda hoping you'll be able to cast your eye across my beetle haul sometime next week?
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