Field Records -

Anthophoridae. Second revised edition. Velden), or been in contact with a pollen/nectar source CR confirmed the specimen as a female Xylocopa recently. As the voucher for the first Irish record, violacea and not X. valga Gerst?cker 1872, a it was decided not to dissect the bee's ovaries to closely related species found in south-eastern ascertain whether they had been fertilized. Europe that could also occur as an accidental These observations suggest the Waterford introduction. The sub-genus Xylocopa sensu stric specimen is a chance vagrant, perhaps arriving in to is found in Europe, through Russia and a vehicle from continental Europe. Female X. Afghanistan, to the western Himalayas violacea are unusual among solitary bees in being (Michener, C. D. 2000. The bees of the world. very long-lived, often surviving long enough to The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore). see their own off-spring become adults (O'Toole The biology of Carpenter Bees, including and Raw 1991 op. cit.), so they are easily capable Xylocopa, is outlined in O'Toole, C. and Raw, A. of surviving a trans-maritime journey under the (1991 Bees of the world. Blandford, London.). right circumstances. Waterford has an important Xylocopa violacea is a large blue-black bee with container-port with Europe-wide connections, blackish wings. The Waterford specimen, which and the city is on the main route from the has a wing span over 40 mm and is over 25 mm in Rosslare ferry-port to Cork City and the tourist length, could easily be mistaken for a completely destinations of West Cork and Kerry. The recent black bumble-bee (Bombus sp.), but Xylocopa and English records would also suggest, however, that Bombus belong to different sub-families and have it is a species that could re-appear in Ireland, per very different lifestyles (O'Toole and Raw 1991 haps on a more permanent basis. It should be op. cit). X. violacea nests in dead wood, mainly in looked for where mature trees carry dead wood, trees but also occasionally using exposed structur old neglected orchards being a particular likeli al timbers in old buildings or timber-framed hous hood. The chances of it being found in structur es. X violacea was a mainly southern and central al timbers in Ireland, with the lack of old timber European species, which turned up as an occa framed houses and outbuildings, are much small sional vagrant in Britain (Chinery, M. 1986 er than on the continent or in Britain. Collins guide to insects of Britain and Western Acknowledgements: The authors gratefully Europe. Collins, London). The species range is acknowledge: Thomas McGrath and Michael now spreading northwards (females observed in Simpson for bringing the specimen to the atten Brittany on 2 March 2007, CR pers. obs.), it has tion of MO'M; Dr ?na Fitzpatrick, Dr Brian been confirmed as breeding in the Channel Nelson and Angus Tyner for their assistance to Islands and in England (Leicestershire and Kent, MO'M in response to early enquiries. with a more recent sighting in Cheshire) - report Colm Ronayne, ed on the Bees, Wasps, and Ants Recording 33 Dublin Road, Skerries, Co. Dublin Society website (www.bwars.com/xylocopa_vio Michael O'Meara lacea.htm), accessed on 2 August 2007. 154 St John's Park, Waterford City Whether the Waterford specimen is a lone vagrant or represents a local breeding population cannot be answered definitively. However, exam ination of the Waterford specimen under a dis A sixth Irish specimen of secting microscope shows no evidence of recent diptera (Burmeister) (: nesting activity - there is no wood dust among the body hairs and the specimen carries none of ) the mites that are often associated with nest (Burmeister) was first discovered stores. The wings-tips of the specimen are worn in Ireland in July 1900 when J.N. Halbert col and lightly frayed and the hairs on top of the tho lected two specimens amongst bushes on the rax are also worn away, consistent with a spring south bank of the River Slaney near Wexford emerged specimen - individual Xylocopa violacea Town, Co. Wexford (Halbert, J.N. 1908 Irish females being unusually long-lived. Downward Naturalist 17: 102-103; King, J.J.F.X. and pressure applied to the abdomen of the bee after Halbert, J.N. 1910 Proceedings of the Royal Irish the specimen was 'relaxed' produced no regurgi Academy 28B: 29-112). Subsequently on 18 June tation of nectar or pollen from the stomach; nei 1955, Stelfox (A.W.S. 1969 Irish Naturalists ther was there any identifiable quantity of pollen Journal 16: 240) swept an adult in a belt of scrub among the body hairs; suggesting it had not fed behind a narrow stretch of dunes on the shore of

Irish Naturalists' Journal 29 No. 7 2008 47

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a little sandy bay north of Ards House, fen, Tullylough More (H026635). One female Sheephaven, Co. Donegal. These records are was found on a small Sphagnum pool beside mentioned in the most recent review of the Irish Lough Sallagh (B813133), West Donegal on 11 Neuroptera (Barnard, P.C., O'Connor, J.P. and September 2007. Speight, M.C.D. 1991 Bulletin of the Irish Ten species of Cyphon are known from Biogeographical Society 14: 109-123). On 22 June Ireland, the nine in the recent checklist 1989, J. Good discovered a third Irish locality for (Anderson, R., Nash, R. and O'Connor, J.R the species when 288 were taken in a D-Vac suc 1997 Irish Coleoptera. A revised and annotated tion trap at Newbridge Fen, Co. Kildare list. Irish Naturalists' Journal, Special (Withers, P. 1992 Irish Naturalists Journal 24: Entomological Supplement) plus C. kongsbergen 79). The sampled vegetation was described as sis. All these species were expertly treated by Tord Carex and grass tussocks. To date, there are pub Nyholm (1972 Die nordeurop?ischen Arten der lished records therefore of only five Irish speci Gattung Cyphon Paykull (Coleoptera). mens of P. diptera and on 6 August 2007, the Entomologica Scandinavica, Supplementum 3), author was delighted to find a sixth Irish individ with some invaluable figures of genitalia. Those ual near the 270 m summit of Slievecoiltia (Slieve of C kongsbergensis are particularly distinctive, Coillte), Co. Wexford (S7221). The specimen (c?) the tiara-like accessory sclerite of the male and was identified using Plant (C. W. 1997 Field the remarkable clasping organ of the female. Studies 9: 179-269). There are two forms of the Adults are almost as small (2.7-3.2 mm) as the lacewing. In the micropterus form, the hind common C padi (L.) at 2.2-2.5 mm, but are gen wings are vestigial and the is probably inca erally a pale straw colour. The suture can have a pable of flight. The macropterus form is able to dark strip, widening anteriorly. The species was fly. The Slievecoiltia specimen is micropterous found with C pubescens (Fab.), a slightly larger and it was swept from grass tussocks where the species (3.0-3.4 mm), at the Fermanagh site. C. species probably feeds on root aphids. The / has pubescens can be almost as pale as C kongsbergen been presented to the National Museum of sis but with the sutural mark widening posterior Ireland. ly in the Fermanagh material. James P. O'Connor Cyphon kongsbergensis was introduced to the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, British list by Peter Skidmore (1985 Dublin 2 Entomologists Monthly Magazine 121: 249-252) based on material from West Inverness, since when there have been several, largely unpub lished, records for Wales and Scotland. The Cyphon kongsbergensis Munster in species is generally confined to high ground and north-west Ireland (Coleoptera, to the north and west, always in acid fens. One Scirtidae) reason for its being overlooked could be that adults occur later than for most other Cyphon Cyphon kongsbergensis Munster (Coleoptera, species, with a peak in August for British records. Scirtidae) is associated with Sphagnum lawns and However, Nyholm (1972 op. cit.) notes most associated ericaceous scrub. It was first recorded records are from July in Sweden and Finland. in Ireland, based on a record for West Mayo in The scarcity of this species probably reflects more 1999 (Marnell, F. 2000 Irish Naturalists Journal the lack of interest in this genus, coupled with its 26: 274-276). This note concerns four further living low to the ground in wet areas not often records. worked with the terrestrial sweep net. The new records are for Fermanagh, Leitrim, Acknowledgements: The Pettigoe Plateau was and West Donegal. On 6 September 2007, adults surveyed as part of the ASSI survey organized by were numerous beside a shallow Sphagnum pool Dave Allen of Allen & Mellon Environmental in peat cuttings on the Conwal watershed in Ltd, and I am grateful for the financial support Leitrim (G859506) in which Cyphon larvae were associated with that work. The work in Donegal also common. On the following day adult males and Leitrim was financed by the National Parks were common in the acid fen surrounding & Wildlife Service, Dublin, and I thank Dr Aine Tullylough Beg (H028637), a small lake in the O'Connor for arranging that support. Pettigoe Plateau ASSI, Fermanagh; a further Garth N. Foster specimen was found in the neighbouring acid 3, Eglinton Terrace, Ayr KA7 1JJ, Scotland, U.K.

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