Time is running out for us

The nights are drawing in quickly now and the season is certainly on the turn. The moth trap is starting to throw up those moths of a definitely Autumnal persuasion: Black Rustic, the sallows and Lunar Underwing. The year is most definitely on the wane. I usually get a bit angst-filled at this time of year thinking about the impending darkness and cold, and the retraction of life.

As someone now working full time from home I'm more aware of the need to actually leave the house and venture out beyond the confines of the garden from time to time. I'm not sure how that's going to work this winter but I'll have to come up with some solution so I don't go mad.

I also have a fridge full of samples that need identifying plus last winter showed just how productive winter beetling can be. There'll be much more of that coming up.

But last night threw up one last gasp of warm air and the temperature didn't go much below 16 degrees all night. With an eye to the future declines in natural history opportunities I put the MV and actinic traps out and the result was at least five new species for me. Two moths and three beetles.

The most unexpected species was this L-album Wainscot. Not one that I would have predicted, mainly being restricted to the southern counties of England from Cornwall eastwards to Kent, but there does appear to be an expansion into Suffolk, so it may have wandered from there. 

The other moth was Nephopterix angustella another species that has been expanding its range and one that  should have probably expected before now.

On the beetle front, the actinic light once again out performed the MV. An hour after dark and the trap and surrounding area was absolutely buzzing with a variety of flies and bugs. Shortly after the beetles began to turn up.

Another Depressed Flour Beetle amongst the new stuff!

Above you can see a pale anthicid (or ant-like flower beetle) that I didn't immediately recognise. This is Stricticollis tobias and is a non-native, I think originally from Asia. It turned up with a couple of its closely related mates.

Stricticollis tobias on the right and Omonadus floralis on the left

There were also lots of Eledona agricola which I'd not seen before. This is another of those weird tenebrioids that looks like it should be in another family. Some might say it looks like a tiny Trox.

By 10.30 things were dropping off and I was thinking about heading bedwards, but a last check of the trap was rewarded in a new species of ladybird, the Ozzy interloper Rhyzobius forestieri. A rather hairy thing and much bigger than the other inconspicuous ladybirds. It's red/orange abdomen was a useful ID clue.

I still have some dust (ie tiny beetles) left to ID and I think there are probably another 2 new species in there but will need to dissect and confirm. The trap ain't gonna be that good again for a while......

___________________________________________________________________________________

Best bit about this version of the blog post inspiration is that I was in the audience just a few yards away from where this was filmed. Labour were still in power.....just. Seems like a long time ago...