Mushroom beetles

A walk round the work reserve this week revealed lots of emerging toadstools. The Fly Agarics Amanita muscaria were just coming out and were looking rather resplendent with their smart colours.

There were several other patches where numbers of toadstools had emerged.

Most were relatively fresh but there were a few that had started to go over and had attracted a number of flies and beetles to the rotting flesh.

There were a few of these rather prettily marked Lordithon trinotatus, one of five species of Lordithon found in the UK. The only other species I've seen so far is lunulatus. 

There were also lots of Proteinus, another genus of staph. This one is P. brachypterus but I have a few others to look at. You can just make out the red first antennal segment below. At just under 2mm these are really small beetles.

Boxing club

Finally joined the Box Tree Moth Cydalima perspectalis club yesterday. When I went to clear the traps in the evening it was sat on an egg box. I must have missed it when I was going through the trap in the morning.

Whilst in the Pyrenees this summer, this was the most commonly encountered moth. A fairly depressing state of affairs. Let's hope it doesn't happen here. 

Famous last words...

A Royal midget?

So last week I decided to have a go at rearing some leaf mines. 

Now I had actually been looking for weevils associated with Salix spp. but I found these mines on a large weeping willow and thought they looked about right. So I picked a few leaves.....

I wrapped them in some damp paper towel, put them in and old ice cream tub and then waited....

Yesterday this moth emerged. Not the beetle I was expecting....

I got it down to a species of Phyllonorycter but that was as far as I could get. Cue Facebook Micromoth page help request.

So it appears to be Phyllonorycter pastorella, and quite possibly new for Cambridgeshire and VC29, so not too bad given it wasn't a beetle.

This species was found in west Norfolk in 2018 so probably no surprise to find it here now.

And as part of the plan to give all moths an English name, this has been blessed with the moniker of Royal Midget!