I'm back!

Finally getting a chance to identify some of my specimens after quite a crazy few months. I haven't blogged since July, and it's now September, so there'll be a lot to write about - I'll have to prioritise.

I was in the news!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-14215583

I took part in a bio blitz at Wester Moss in mid July and we found the very cute "Bog Sun Jumper" (Heliophanus dampfi). I was out leading a group on the moss looking for interesting bugs and happened upon a very wet patch of bog with almost continuous Sphagnum moss cover interrupted by tussocks of cotton grass. Having been out recently to Ochtertyre Moss with a very knowledgeable friend and colleague, Chris Cathrine, I had an idea of what its habitat preferences are. It was also very sunny and warm, and it occurred to me that Wester Moss (being local to both known Scottish sites) might be an ideal remnant habitat for these gorgeous spiddlers. Spontaneously, I found myself on my belly on the wet moss peering at sun-drenched Sphagnum magellanicum hummocks. Astonishingly I immediately witnessed a minute black and yellow/green jumping spider ping out of sight. I realised that it would be a bit of a chore to hunt for these dudes successfully, so I called over another friend/colleague, David Price, with his bugvac (converted leaf-blower), to come over and suck the life out of the tussocks - quite literally!

We found 12 specimens, and took several back to the office, where CC confirmed them as H. dampfi. They have since been verified by the local spider recorder. Very exciting. A new location for this species.

                                                   Lorne Gill © Scottish Natural Heritage

Here are some pictures I've taken of what I think is Metalimnobia bifasciata (a cranefly):

It's byoodiful! I thought it was really rare, because I looked up the distribution map for this species on NBN Gateway and there were only two records (one in Wales and one in England). However, zillions of new records have appeared since August and it now turns out to be quite common and widespread. Shame on me for running around showing off to everyone in the office! Ha. It pays to be cautious with these things, and take NBN Gateway with a pinch of salt. Or a heap. Here is the map: http://data.nbn.org.uk/gridMap/gridMap.jsp?allDs=1&srchSpKey=NBNSYS0100004016

I'm still struggling with my Euphylidorea meigenii/phaostigma, but I have plans to visit an expert at a local museum at the end of October and I will take along the specimens that I am struggling with and hopefully iron these problems out once and for all.

Muddles

It's easy to be caught out when using keys, especially when you are a bit complacent!

So... I'm helping sort Malaise trap samples from Flanders Moss NNR (http://www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/flanders-moss/). David Pryce (owner of trap) is looking for a special caddis fly (the species escapes me), but as the trap catches a lot of flying insects and some spiders, I am helping him to identify the crane flies. It is good practice for me!

I started sorting the crane flies yesterday and chose a good starting point... a large, grey species that looked very much like Tipula luna. So I skipped the family, subfamily and genus keys and went straight to Tipula. Four hours later... fruitless key, fruitless Google image searches, and fruitless analysis of Tipula atlas.

Luckily, help was at hand and I emailed a photo of the female specimen to Alan Stubbs (expert man) at Buglife, who soon replied with the suggestion that I look to Prionocera (of which there are 3 species). Success - it was Prionocera turcica! However, I have learnt a valuable lesson that skipping parts of the identification process is not a good idea at my level of expertise (low)!

Here is the beautiful creature:

Keeping it on the level

Had an amazing two days rubbing shoulders with delegates at the IUCN's "Investing in Peatlands - Delivering Multiple Benefits" conference at Stirling University. More about the IUCN's Peatland Programme can be found here: http://www.iucn-uk-peatlandprogramme.org/.

I was especially pleased, along with Suzanne (Buglife), Alex & Paul (Butterfly Conservation Scotland) and Guy and Claire (Stirling Council rangers), to show some of the delegates around the bing and bog at Wester Moss SSSI (see previous post). Among the highlights of the day were speaking to Richard Lindsay of the University of East London, a bog expert, and Dr Rob Stoneman, Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, who chaired the event. I hope made a good impression!

Getting acquainted with (deceased) Crane flies

I enjoyed some interesting time away with Buglife staff in Dorset and Devon last week. We stayed in a beautiful Victorian mansion on the edge of Exmoor, and had fun collecting specimens on site (a present to the owners). I was given a few crane flies caught by colleagues and, along with specimens from my bog sites, I have been having fun identifying them using Alan Stubb's test-keys (kindly given to me by Duncan Sivell).

Image: Suzie Bairner and Chris Cathrine collecting bugs in Exmoor

Excitingly (for me), there are no crane fly records for Wester Moss SSSI, Fallin - one of the lowland raised bogs I regularly visit in Stirling. This means that every species I successfully identify is a new record for the local area.Wester Moss has recently become a Butterfly Conservation reserve for Large Heath butterflies - a UKBAP species (http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/text/5494/wester_moss.html).

I thought I'd take the opportunity to showcase some of the species I've identified*, starting with Euphylidorea meigeni.  I caught six males and two females at the edge of the bog (I wasn't wearing wellies). They are black and quite hairy with legs that are orange at the base. When using the key, I arrived at Euphylidorea meigenii and a similar species, E. phaeostigma, which I ruled out due to the shape of the male genitalia, and the latter's scarce and southerly distribution.


Species: Euphylidorea meigenii
Size: 10 - 11 mm
Wing length: 7 - 12 mm
Date collected: 20/06/2011 (a summer species, on the wing June - August)
Habitats: Peatland habitats (lowland raised bog - that's where I found it!)
Distribution: http://data.nbn.org.uk/interactive/map.jsp?srchSp=NBNSYS0100003143
Taxonomy:

Order:	Diptera
Suborder:	Nematocera
Infraorder:	Tipulomorpha
Superfamily:	Tipuloidea
Family:	Limoniidae
Subfamily:	Limnophilinae
Genus:	Euphylidorea Alexander, 1972

It has been suggested by Salmella (2009) that this species could be sensitive to peatland drainage, thus being an indicator of quality, wet bog. More to follow, including pictures!

*Needs verification from an expert!

Experimenting with a blog

I'm getting tired of passing my time playing Solitaire (stress-avoidance: it used to be Sudoku, but I got lazier). Writing a blog seems like a more productive use of my free time, and an informal way of disseminating some of the stuff I've been learning recently. WARNING: I am at risk of getting too technical. I spend quite a bit of time looking down a microscope at the moment, trying to discern minute features of weeny beetles, and more recently counting trichobothria (long sensitive hairs) on a pseudoscorpions rear-end. But I will try to include interesting snippets for non-entomology-types. Sorry mumsy, you are obliged to read this.

Also, entomology-types, please correct me. I am learning. This will be a sort of "learning diary" and a place to keep track of my brain. Be respectful of that, but still, constructive criticism is welcome.

The key topic will be Tipulidae (craneflies, or daddy-long-legseseses) of the Order Diptera (true flies). With much deliberation (approx. five moths of wool brain) I decided I liked Tipulids enough to specialise in them as part of my Natural Talent apprenticeship, during which I am investigating bugs on bogs (lowland raised bogs to be exact). My mentor and I had a bit of an eureka moment in the car whilst driving around roundabouts in the outskirts of Glasgow (where we were heading ceased to be of importance). He decided that craneflies made sense, as there are clever-Tipulid-types on hand to instruct me, and plenty of the wee beasts on bogs.

(Photo: A cranefly (female - note pointy ovipositer) found at Glenshee in late April)

They also tie in with climate change issues (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/3307701/Crane-fly-emerging-later-due-to-climate-change.html). Many Tipulid species emerge as adults in autumn, and the effects of warming due to climate change have caused them to emerge later in the year. Adult craneflies are an important source of food for breeding birds such as the Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria). Their late emergence could mean less food for Plover chicks (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/biology/assets/MWhitt_pdf/10Global%20Change%20Biology.pdf). It is also a worry that upland bogs are not wet enough for the developing larvae of some Tipulid species (http://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2011/research/daddy-longlegs/). Bogs are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as they are cool, wet habitats and can suffer from drying and erosion... and aren't in particularly good shape as it is as they have been extensively drained for agriculture.

So, Tipulidae seems like a good place to be. I feel there is still lots to be learned, and I am eager to try out some of the test keys available. I'm becoming quite a fan of cranefly wings - they are delicate and sometimes patterned, and wing venation (the pattern of the veins) is used as an identification character in their case. Today I plan to start sketching some of my unfortunate specimens. I imagine that daddy-long-legs aren't in the top three "most endearing bugs" category, but I hope to get at least some of you to appreciate their gangly beauty.

Studying entomology has taught me not to overlook anything and I've been rewarded with wee intriguing jewels... like the Pseudoscorpions, for example. Wowzers... what can I say. I sat in a conference room listening to Gerald Legg (Mr. Pseudoscorpion) on Saturday with my jaw hitting the desk. Okay, I already though Pseudos were exciting because they are teeny and have pincers like a scorpion and run about in leaf litter hunting other teeny things like Springtails... BUT... I was amazed to discover that they also:

1) Dance with each other during courtship (not all, but some, as mating is dangerous for male Arachnids)

2) Create intricate packets of sperm that they mount of spikes of silk which the female comes to collect, often enticed by a blob of eau de cologne

3) They look after their babies - the mothers even produce "milk" from their ovaries to feed their developing young, plus some create a silken cradle which they guard, feeding the bubbas from their own mouths!!!!

I heart Pseudoscorpions. If you want to see some of these guys, just find some nice deep leaf litter or compost (or perhaps under bark/stones) and shake it in a garden sieve into a big tray. They are pretty tiny but unmistakable when you do see them! Pictures to follow.