Wasps

It has been a bit of a year for social wasps, the Vespula and Dolichovespula genera of Hymenoptera. Last year we saw very few of these, indeed, Vespula vulgaris didn't make it onto the new garden list until this year. What I found interesting was that earlier in the year the predominant species here was Dolichovespula saxonica with nests in the house, under the roof tiles, but then the species balance changed firstly with Vespula germanica being found more often and then very large numbers of Vespula vulgaris.

Vespula vulgaris showing the typical anchor face mark.

 Social wasps can be surprisingly awkward to identify, a bit more straightforward than bumblebees, but quite often requiring a fair bit of scrutiny. There is a useful guide here - https://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds2/insectswaspsidentification.htm but note it does not include Dolichovespula media, a large species or Vespa velutina which is now occurring more frequently in England.

As interesting as these social wasps are, and despite being stung occasionally, I like to see them about (just move slowly and don't flap!), I'm more interested in the parasitic Hymenoptera. 

I was at the Community Woodland looking at plant galls the other week when I came across a small female wasp that was very interested in the Common Spangle Galls Neuroterus quercusbaccarum f agamic. I watched it for quite a while as it investigated two of the galls.

 

Torymus flavipes, identified by KM (thank you). The longest terminal spur on the hind tibia is more than half as long as the first tarsal segment.

A bit of correspondence with KM has led to me collecting some more specimens as he is investigating the possibility of crypto-species due to the different plant associations in spring, but just Quercus in autumn. So far my oak bashing has yielded two more of this species and quite a few other Hymenoptera species.

 This large Ichneumon came out of one oak.

 

Lissonota fundator, confirmed by MS (thank you). Identified using the colour guides to Ichneumons in iNaturalist (see side panel) and the Banchinae key, which I have, but have rarely used. The lower photo shows the deeply excavated mesosulcus which determines this species from L. impressor.

This is a common species, the long ovipositors, nearly 10mm long, and longer than the rest of the animal, seem so ungainly, but presumably necessary for laying eggs in the larvae/pupae (I'm not sure which) of Mesapamea secalis agg hosts. 

I've been adding galls to my list at a fair rate and now I'm seeing them I find more and more. Some sapling oaks may have six or more species on them. 

Coal Tit has clearly had a very good breeding season. The sunflower seed feeder is emptied in a couple of hours or so and the other species get not much of a chance. Last year Coal Tit - Blue Tit ratio was about 1:1, this year it is 20:1. 

Coal Tits

I added two species to the patch list the other day, within about 100m of each other.  Red-legged (or similar) Partridge, no doubt released for shooting, and not unexpected Stonechat.

Stonechat

Pink-footed Geese have been passing over recently, with several flocks heard but not seen, until this single, and clearly disorientated bird flew noisily around the fields.

Pink-footed Goose

Other migrants have included Magpie, they only seem to occur here at this time of year and fleetingly. Today the first Redwings went over.

The mothing has been frustrating. A long spell of cold nights, followed by a series of warm but very wet nights. However, the one session I did run produced NFM Lunar Underwing and Satellite.

Lunar Underewing

Satellite

A trip to Crieff Cemetery whilst the car was being re-shod produced another NFM with many occupied mines on alder of Phyllonorycter froelichiella.

Phyllonorycter froelichiella, three occupied mines.

And this alder leaf has mines of Phyllonorycter froelichiella and many galls of Eriophyes laevis, a mite.

 Also recorded at the cemetery was Holly Leafminer Phytomyza ilicis, another leaf mine, and an adult Blastobasis lacticolella. 

A sunny mid-morning in Stirling produced a very sprightly Hummingbird Hawk-moth, near the city centre, which disappeared rapidly before I could get any half-decent image, along with Speckled Wood.

A fabulous image of Hummingbird Hawk-moth

Slug Walk

That would be slowly.... Indeed I can walk frustratingly very slowly and when leading our local Woodland Wanders the participants don't get much exercise.

Via my BSBI membership I was invited on a walk last Saturday afternoon, but not a botanical one, it was to be led by Chris du Feu who is a slug expert, although also well known for writing the BTO Nest Box Guide (23). The site was to be The Field in Dunkeld which is a community owned and run food growing site.

The invitation included bringing some slugs along to be examined, but when I ventured out the evening before, in ideal, warm and wet conditions all that could be found was one Green Cellar Slug, and a Tree Slug, both climbing up the house walls. However, some subsequent investigations, the next morning, under our row of plant pots did reveal a couple of tiny Arion spp, and into a pot they went.

Arion spp are tricky, both large and small, and the hand lens was required to determine these. One turned out to be Arion hortensis which I'd not recorded previously, so that was a bonus. The other was either A. hortensis or A. distinctus but was unclear, demonstrating just how hard to determine these can be.

Arion hortensis.

Chris patiently explained how confusing many of these slugs are and gave us advice on identification, as well as a bit of history as to how they were first found and how they spread across the UK. 

We found a good number of species between us including three Worm Slugs, I'd seen just one of these previously which I found in our Orkney garden. 

Boettgerilla pallens Worm Slug, an almost mythical creature! Certainly my favourite slug. Apparently first found in the UK in 1974, when several were found at one extended site. My Orkney garden record is the most northerly in the UK, just pipping Chris's on Shapinsay.

 The Worm Slug I found on Saturday was a bit of fluke as it got scooped into my sample pot along with organic matter as I caught a Bembidion sp, a ground beetle.

Bembidion lampros, at 3.45mm a small one. Note that the 7th elytral stria is absent. I have seen this previously, but a long time ago.

I did record a few "new for me" species on Saturday, most exciting was the ground beetle Anchomenus dorsalis, of which there were two. This is a very attractive species although my "in the pot" image doesn't show it off to its best.

Anchomenus dorsalis

This is a common species across much of the UK but much less so in this part of Scotland, the dot on the map will be visible!

The other slug which caught the eye on Saturday was Tandonia budapestensis, not one of Chris's favourites! But an interesting beastie nonetheless.

Tandonia budapestensis, Budapest Slug.

I'd never come across the Garlic Snail previously, but one was in the pot of finds. The smell of this species is very, very strong and unmistakable. One of the few species that is best identified by smell and may only be confused with various plants of the Allium genus. Visually this glass snail is very similar to others, and snails are very difficult to identify on the whole.

Garlic Snail Oxychilus alliarius

There were various things found that could not be identified to species including a sawfly larva (but I will investigate that further) and  an Epistrophe sp hoverfly larva (thanks NG).

Sawfly larva (maybe found on Oak), so far undetermined.

Epistrophe sp larva

The female agamic gall formed by the hymenopteran Cynips quercus was found on an Oak.

Cynips quercus f agamic

Several Toads and one Palmate Newt were larger, although not necessarily faster moving, creatures found.

Bufo bufo

Lissotriton helveticus Palmate Newt. I should have checked its throat, but forgot to, over confident perhaps, but I think this is the correct ID.

And I have to finish with a slug really. Deroceras reticulatum is a common species across the UK, although Deroceras invadens appears to be displacing it. D. reticulatum has a "Milk of Magnesia" (a really terrible medicine, I can still recall it as being awful, from my childhood) slime trail, most obvious if you let it move across semi-translucent plastic, like a yoghurt pot.

Deroceras reticulatum

Many thanks to all the participants for a very enjoyable afternoon and especially to Liz for inviting me and Chris for sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm.

Migrants

Moths migrate, and they may travel a very long way. Recently, here in Mid-Perthshire, see previous posts, I've recorded several Rush Veneer and a single Rusty Dot Pearl. On 9th September I trapped a Dark Sword-grass.

Dark Sword-grass

Today, however, whilst talking to the roofers who are currently mending our house a neighbour came across and showed me a photo on her phone. Wow! Convolvulus Hawk-moth. Disturbed whilst moving their lawn. I grabbed the camera and hot-footed it over to their garden where I was just in time to see (and hear, the buzzing of wings) as it took flight and headed off into the distance.

Convolvulus Hawk-moth (Pix IC)

Many thanks to IC for alerting me to this exciting find, I think this is the third record for VC88 (Leverton and Cubitt 2024). Needless to say, despite the less than ideal conditions, clear and cold but becoming cloudy and rainy I have two light traps out tonight.

Birds are also migrating. There have been a few days at home where the hirundines and Meadow Pipits have been clearly on the move. One day I saw nine different Spotted Flycatchers, one group of which may have been a lingering family party but others were likely migrants, also seen recently at home were Whitethroat, and quite a few Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. The last Sand Martin (so far) was on 1st September.

We stayed in Melrose for a few days last weekend and there was more obvious vismig there on the northern side of the Eildon Hills. Mostly hirundines but some Mepits, and Siskin also.

Most of the time in Melrose I was looking at plant galls though. There was a small plantation and the oaks Quercus sp were particularly impacted. New for me were Neuroterus numismalis Silk Button Spangle Gall and Andricus foecundatrix caused by the Artichoke Gall Wasp. I'm still working on a few others.

Andricus foecundatrix

Cynips quercusfolii surrounded by Neuroterus quercusbaccarum.

Neuroterus numismalis

There are now some excellent books on plant galls, but also have a look at the website listed in the side panel under Parasites. All the above galls are caused by Hymenoptera.

One evening in Melrose we came face to face with a young Badger, a while since I've seen one of them as they are apparently not present where we stay in Perthshire. 

Following on from dissecting the supposed Svensson's Copper Underwing Amphipyra berbera, the dissection seemed to prove that despite the black palps with obvious white tips, this was Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea. 

Aedaegus with few cornuti would strongly indicate A. pyramidea.

A photo of the underside of the spread hind wing in better, more even light also points to A.pyramidea.

The shape of the uncus, to my eye, is more typical of A. pyramidea, although this is quite a subtle feature.

 A reminder of the palps of this animal.

Amphipyra pyramidea the same animal as the dissection and hind wing above. I think these images prove that the palps feature is variable, as the Evans-Hill paper strongly suggested and not a useful feature for the identification and separation of these two species.

 

I've dissected a few other moths recently as well. Ear moth species are not possible to identify without dissection on the whole, although geography and local landscape can be very helpful. The two I dissected turned out to be pretty typical of their species externally.

Female Amphipoea lucens Large Ear.

 

Close up of the costal process.

Amphipoea oculea Ear Moth, a male. The costal process has two arms of approximately equal length.

My search for Common Rustic Mesapamea secalis in the garden continues to be unrewarded as yet another dissection gave me a male M. didyma. They all seem to be M. didyma in this neck of the woods.

Dissection of a Marbled Minor proved it was indeed that species and a very worn pug turned out as expected to be Juniper Pug Eupithecia pusillata.

Male Juniper Pug Eupithecia pusillata showing the very distinctive aedaegus.

 

Juniper Pug Eupithecia pusillata

Fortunately most moths do not need to be euthanised and examined in such a way, most are identifiable in the field.

The very tiny Acleris forsskaleana

Acleris laterana

Brown-spot Pinion

Common Marbled Carpet

Frosted Orange

Light Emerald

Setaceous Hebrew Character.