Tetrading in SP05 15th April 2001

By Harry Green, John Meiklejohn & John Partridge

Having seen the list shown in the previous article we decided to do something about increasing the number of records in poorly covered tetrads. There were several reasons for this. First we were tired of being corralled by the Foot & Mouth epidemic and the spring urge to get out and about was strong! So we decided to visit one site in each tetrad for 30-60 minutes or so and search for invertebrates. With restrictions on movements in the countryside the only sites we could visit were road verges and we had to take care that no farm animals were in the vicinity. We chose SP05 mainly because it was between Redditch (where JP lives) and Pershore (near homes of HG & JWM). Also the numbers of records were quite low.

On the day the weather was overcast, mainly dry with a few showers, occasional brief glimpses of sun, and a cold N wind. Hardly any insects on the wing. Typical early spring weather!

During the day we managed to visit six sites.

The number of records for each tetrad before we started was as follows (molluscs not available yet):

Tetrad A: 2 beetles and 14 spiders only
Tetrad B: rather better (see table) with 47 inverts plus 29 spiders because of records from Yeald Wood.
Tetrad C: 15 inverts plus 15 spiders
Tetrad F: 1 beetle, 1 bee, 20 spiders
Tetrad G: 44 inverts, 31 spiders, thanks to records from Slade Wood.
Tetrad H: No records at all, not even spiders!

The relatively large number of spider records were almost all seen on previous visits by JP who has worked hard to transform spider recording in Worcestershire in the last few years.

As you can see from the following lists we improved the situation with relatively little effort. We also found some interesting things. An ancient oak at site 6 (Radford) had a big colony of shing black ants Lasius fuliginosus and also the brown tree ant Lasius brunneus. The latter appears to be more widespread that expected with a steady increase in records. Litter at the base of the same tree also contained the scarce woodlouse eating spider Dysdera erythrina.

Site 2 contained a another small tree ant Leptothorax nylanderi which is also quite scarce.

Sites 1 and 3 both contained Androniscus dentiger the Rosy Woodlouse which is not often seen

Site 4 was in rather bleak cereal country but skylarks were singing high above the un-ploughed fields.

We were very surprised to find adult Tetrix subulata, the slender groundhopper, at several sites. It is not often recorded, and few orthoptera are at an adult stage in spring - we now know from the books that adult groundhoppers are seen in spring!.

We did not record flowering plants. JWM noted some lichens, mosses and fungi.

JP identified the Araneae, Collembola, Opiliones. JWM identified all the Coleoptera and most of the rest! HG named some snails and woodlice (and birds) and spent many hours trying to work out the mysteries of centipede keys.

We obviously cannot identify everything we see! Some specimens await identification.

To encourage you to have a go John Meiklejohn’s simplified woodlouse key follows this article. HG has actually learned to do woodlice this year - if he can, you can!

Tetrad SP05B SITE 1. SP 007532 STOCKUMFORD BRIDGE

COLEOPTERA

Achenium depressum
Anthicus antherinus
Anthobium unicolor
Bembidion harpaloides
Chlaenius vestitis
Metabletus obscuroguttatus
Ocalea picata
Propylea 14-punctata
Psyllobora 22-punctata
Tachyporus hypnorum

COLLEMBOLA

Orchesella cincta

HYMENOPTERA

Lasius flavus

ACARI

Aceria aceriscampestris

ARANEAE

Harpactea hombergi
Segestria senoculata

CHILOPODA

Cryptops hortensis
Lithobius borealis
Lithobius forficatus

DIPLOPODA

Julus scandinavius
Tachypodoiulus niger

ISOPODA

Androniscus dentiger
Oniscus asellus
Philoscia muscorum
Platyarthrus hoffmannseggi
Porcellio scaber

MOLLUSCA

Azeca goodalli
Arion hortensis
Cepaea hortensis
Clausilia bidentata
Cochlodina laminata
Discus rotundatus
Ena obscura
Lauria cylindracea
Monacha cantiana
Trichia striolata

AMPHIBIA

Frog tadpoles

BIRDS

Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Green Woodpecker
Carrion Crow
Rook
Wren

LICHENS

Physcia adscendens
Xanthoria parietina

MOSSES

Grimmia pulvinata
Tortula muralis

Tetrad SP05A. SITE 2. SP 017515 AB LENCH ROAD

COLEOPTERA

Agonum albipes
Agonum obscurum
Bembidion harpaloides
Bembidion obtusum
Demetrias atricapillus
Dromius linearis
Plagiodera versicolora
Pterostichus vernalis
Tachyporus hypnorum
Tachyporus nitidulus

PLECOPTERA Stone fly

Nemoura cinerea

COLLEMBOLA

Orchesella cincta
Tomocerus longicornis

HEMIPTERA

Drymus sylvaticus
Scolopostethus affinis

HYMENOPTERA

Leptothorax nylanderi

ORTHOPTERA

Tetrix subulata

ISOPODA

Armadillidium vulgare
Oniscus asellus
Porcellio scaber
Trichoniscus pusillus

MOLLUSCA

Anisus leucostoma
Azeca goodalli
Balea perversa
Cepaea hortensis
Clausilia bidentata
Cochlicopa lubricella
Discus rotundatus
Ena obscura
Helix aspersa
Lauria cylindracea
Oxychilus cellarius
Trichia hispida
Trichia striolata

ARANEAE

Diplocephalus cristatus

OPILIONES

Nemastoma bimaculatum
Rilaena triangularis

PSEUDOSCORPION

Neobisium muscorum

MAMMALS

Clethrionomys glareolus

BIRDS

Great tit
Blue tit
Dunnock
Wren
Rook

FUNGI

Ganoderma applanatum

LICHENS

Diploica canescens

Tetrad SP05G. SITE 3. SP 027522 CHURCH LENCH

COLEOPTERA

Bembidion aeneum
Cidnorhynchus quadrimaculatus
Coccinella 7-punctata
Megasternum obscurum
Phaedon tumidulus
Psyllobora 22-punctata
Stilbus testaceus
Tachyporus chrysomelinus

DIPTERA

Bibio johannis (det DMG)

DERMAPTERA

Forficula auricularia

HYMENOPTERA

Lasius niger

ORTHOPTERA

Tetrix subulata

CHILOPODA

Strigamia crassipes

DIPLOPODA

Julus scandinavius
Tachypodoiulus niger

ISOPODA

Androniscus dentiger
Armadillidium vulgare
Oniscus asellus
Philoscia muscorum
Porcellio scaber

MOLLUSCA

Arion subfuscus
Balea perversa
Candidula gigaxii
Cepaea hortensis
Clausilia bidentata
Cochlicopa lubrica
Discus rotundatus
Ena obscura
Trichia striolata

ARANEAE

Ero cambridgei
Bathyphantes gracilis
Pelecopsis parallela
Lepthyphantes pallidus
Diplostyla concolor
Lepthyphantes tenuis
Oedothorax fuscus
Porhomma microphthalmum

OPILIONES

Rilaena triangularis

COLLEMBOLA

Tomocerus longicornis
Orchesella villosa
Orchesella cincta
Dicyrtoma fusca

BIRDS

Great tit
Blue tit
Chaffinch
Wren
Blackbird

Tetrad SP05F. SITE 4. SP 031501 ATCH LENCH

COLEOPTERA

Agonum dorsale
Agonum obscurum
Amara aenea
Anotylus rugosus
Astenus immaculatus
Badister bipustulatus
Bembidion quadrimaculatum
Chaetocnema concinna
Demetrias atricapillus
Dromius linearis
Lathrobium fovulum
Sepedophilus marshami
Stenus bimaculatus
Stenus clavicornis
Stenus geniculatus
Stomus pumicatus
Tachyporus chrysomelinus
Tachyporus hypnorum
Trichocellus cognatus

HYMENOPTERA

Myrmica rubra

HEMIPTERA

Scolopostethus affinis

ORTHOPTERA

Tetrix subulata

ARANEAE

Harpactea hombergi
Tegenaria silvestris
Microneta viaria
Micrargus herbigradus
Diplostyla concolor

COLLEMBOLA

Tomocerus longicornis
Orchesella villosa
Orchesella cincta

OPILIONES

Rilaena triangularis

PSEUDOSCORPION

Neobisium muscorum

DIPLOPODA

Cylindroiulus britannicus
Cylindroiulus punctatus
Julus scandinavius
Polydesmus angustus
Polydesmus denticulatus
Tachypodoiulus niger

ISOPODA

Oniscus asellus
Philoscia muscorum
Porcellio scaber
Trichoniscus pusillus

MOLLUSCA

Aegopinella nitidula
Azeca goodalli
Discus rotundatus
Lauria cylindracea

BIRDS

Skylarks x3 singing

Tetrad SP05 H Site 5. SPO29545 ABBOTS LENCH

COLEOPTERA

Agonum albipes
Astenus immaculatus
Ceutorhynchus pollinarius
Demetrias atricapillus
Dromius linearis
Epurea melanocephala
Metabletus obscuroguttatus
Metabletus truncatellus
Phyllotreta nigripes
Stenus levies
Stilbus testaceus

HYMENOPTERA

Myrmica rubra

COLLEMBOLA

Orchesella cincra

HEMIPTERA

Scolopostethus affinis

ORTHOPTERA

Tetrix subulata

ARANEAE

Pisaura mirabilis
Trochosa terricola
Diplostyla concolor
Episinus angulatus
Walckenaeria nudipalpis
Porhomma microphthalmum
Porhomma pygmaeum

COLLEMBOLA

Tomocerus minor

OPILIONES

Rilaena triangularis

DIPLOPODA

Cylindroiulus punctatus
Polydesmus angustus
Tachypodoiulus niger

ISOPODA

Armadillidium vulgare
Oniscus asellus
Philoscia muscorum

MOLLUSCA

Arion ater
Azeca goodalli
Clausilia bidentata
Discus rotundatus
Helix aspersa
Limax maximus
Oxychilus helveticus
Trichia stilt

Tetrad SP05C. SITE 6. SP 008546 RADFORD

COLEOPTERA

Bembidion quadrimaculatum
Paederus litoralis
Tachyporus chrysomelins

HEMIPTERA

Acanthosoma haemorrhoidale

HYMENOPTERA

Andricus quercuscalicis
Halictus sp (ID follows)
Lasius brunneus Na
Lasius fuliginosus

CHILOPODA

Lithobius forflcatus

DIPLOPODA

Cylindroiulus punctatus
Glomeris marginata
Julus scandinavius
Polydesmus angustus
Tachypodoiulus niger

ISOPODA

Porcellio scaber

MOLLUSCA

Discus rotundatus
Helix aspersa
Oxychilus cellarius

ARANEAE

Microneta viaria
Lepthyphantes minutes
Harpactea hombergi
Dysdera erythrina
Metellina mengei

OPILIONES

Nemastoma bimaculatus

COLLEMBOLA

Orchesella villosa
Orchesella cincta
Dicyrtomena minuta

PS
The number of Mollusc records for the county are listed as species, number of records, and year of last record on our web site www.wbrc.org.uk

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