NEWSLETTER29

September2003

Feedingon thistleat WillesleyFlashes.

Moths.Butterflies and PurpleHairstreak (Quercusia quercus) Ladybirdsin a Wigstongarden 24'nJuly 2003 on top of an Oak tree alonga naturetrail between Oakthorpe and Donisthorpe. Againthe yearstarted off quitepoorly for ,with the exceptionof 1 Oak Nycteoline CloudedYellow (Colias croceus). At (Nycteolarevayana) on the 614103,which was Oakethorpeon 26'n(1) & 31" 1'1;July, 2"" (3) a new recordfor ourgarden. & 6th(1)August 2003. By Junethings started picking up, we had someold favouriles like Silver-ground carpet Common Blue ( Polyommatusicarus) (Xanthorhoemontanata) and EyedHawk- 31'tJuly 2003. Hundreds around the banks (SmerinthusOcellata). Then laterDark Sword- aroundAlbert Village Lake, a formeropencast grass(Agrotis ipsilon) and GoldenPlusia sitenear Swadlingcote. (Polychrysiamoneta). On the 1416103there were two surprises;a James Sharpe Sandy Carpet (Perizomaflavofasciata) and a Swadlingcote, Clouded-BorderedBrindle ( crenata) Derbyshire. bothof whichwere new to ourgarden. Colonizersof a NewPond It was niceto seethat the OrangeLadybird (Halyzia16-guttata) is stillaround as we recordedit on 31.05.03&'14.06.03 in ourMV We havealways had a wildlifepond in our ITAD. garden,but dueto the lackof spacewe have neverbeen happy with its size or shape. Whilstat Hunstantonon the EastCoast for a Alongone side,we had builta smallrockery holiday,I wassurprised to seethe huge andevery spring, in wenta few alpineplants numberof SilverY moths(Autographa onlyto be lostthrough winter rain and f rosts gamma), PaintedLady butterflies(Cynthia (theyrotted). cardui)and Wall Brownbutterflies A decisionwas made.Out with the rockery,in (Lasiommatamegera). When we got backto witha new and and,hopefully, better pond. Wigstonour Buddleiawas coveredin Painted Emptyingand movingthe residentCommon Lady'sand SilverY's; Wall Brown butterflies Frog (Ranatemporaria) and SmoothNewt wereabsent. (Triturusvulgaris) populations into a large containeralong with Canadian Pondweed Adam Poole. (Elodeacanidensis), took up one day alone. Sixweeks later, one skipfull of soiland a lotof Records from a new sweat,in wentthe new liner. Butterfly Withshallow water now allaround the edges, member birdscan now batheand drinkfrom the edge. The frogs and newtsthat had not already found pondwere returned. Over White-letter Hairstreak(Strymonidia w-album) theirway backto the we watchedthe pond 13'nJuly 2003. A smallcolony (2+) in Wych the nextfew days Pond Elmin a gardenat Packington,near Ashby-De- carefullyfor newarrivals. A single Skater (Gerrisgibbifer) the f irst to arrive, La-Zouch. was skimmingacross the surfaceafter that the water.A dav 241hJuly 2oo3 hadthe misfortuneto landon or two latera Q Broad-bodiedChaser (Libellula depressa)appeared and began to lay eggs, dippingher abdomenwhilst hovering just over LEICESTERSHIRE the water'ssurface. ENTOMOLOGICAL Aftera few momentsshe was gone anda J L. SOCIETY depressaappeared patrolling the garden.He too soondisappeared and we sawneither Affiliatedto: dragonfly again.lt makesyou wonder just how Leicestershire& RutlandWildlife Trust manydifferent species of insectvisit our Chairman& gardenswhen we arenot there to seethem LES OccasionalPublications Editor: andtherefore they go unrecorded.For Ray Morris example,last year we weresitting in our 142Hinckley Road, Barwell, gardenwhen over the fenceflew a Banded Leics. LE9 BDI'' Telephone:01 455 842145 Demoiselle(Calopteryx splendens). We liveat Email:ray.morris @ ntlworld.com least3 milesfrom the nearestsuitable habitat for thissoecies. Secretary: The pondhas now beenplanted and the frogs JohnKramer 31 Ash Tree Road,Oadby, and newtshave bred. Brown Hawker Dragonfly LeicesterLE2 5TE (Aeshnagrandis), Blue-tailed Damsef ly Telephone:01 16 271 6499 (lschnuraelegans) and CommonDarter Email:jk @chezejog.demon.co.uk (Sympetrumstriolatum) have now been Treasurer: recorded,so we musthave got something StuadPoole right.lt is the beginningof Augustso thereis 1BCroft Drive, Wigston, stillplenty of timefor morerecords so I will LeicesterLE18 1HD keepyou posted. Telephone:01 16 288 0236 ad.ap@ virgin.net Stuart Poole CommitteeMembers: L.E.S.Treasurer Dave Budworth 121Wood Lane. Newhall,Swadlincote 2003the yearof the Painted Derbys.DE11 OLX Telephone:01 283 2151 BB Lady? Email:dbudO1 @aol.com

Maggie& Roy Frankum Thisyear has beenan exceptionalyear for the 3 ChapelLane, Knighton, PaintedLady butterfly(Vanessa cardut). I saw Leicester LE2 3WF my first in earlyMarch in my gardenin Telephone:01 16 270 5833 Houghtonon the Hill(SK 680037). By June royfrankum @ tiscali.co. uk hugenumbers had arrived in the UK having Derek Lott sweptthrough Malta and Spainand up through HollyHayes Environmental NorthernEurope. The PaintedLady is a long- ResourcesCentre, distancemigrant butterfly. Each year, it 216 BirstallRoad, Birstall, Leicester LE4 4DG spreadsnorthwards from the desertfringes of Telephone:01 16 267 1950 NorthAfrica, the MiddleEast, and central Asia, Email:dlott @ leics.gov.uk recolonizingmainland Europe, Britain and lreland.In someyears it is an abundant butterfly,f requenting gardens and otherf lowery Newsletter Editor: placesin latesummer. Because it is a wide- FrankClark rangingmigrant, the PaintedLady may be seen 4 Main Street, in any habitatin the UK in a goodyear. Adults Houghtonon the Hill, LeicesterLE7 9GD tendto congregatein openareas with plenty of Telephone:01 1 6 243 2725 thistles,which serve both as larvalfood-plants [email protected] or [email protected] andsource of nectar.Gardens are also popular habitatsfor PaintedLadies: lhe specieswas reportedby over ot the 1'1,000 Next Copy Deadline: 50% participantsin ButterflyConservation's Garden Butterflies Count survey in 2002.Although ,-rh . PaintedLadies can breedhere during the 17"' January2004 warmermonths, Britain s climateis notsuitable for theirsurvival from year to year.As winter closesin the butterflieseither miorate back southwardsor oerish.

FrankClark v

Vatu'ssa cardui

Volucellabombvlans - an unusualcolour form

In June2003, Gareth Burton brought me a deadspecimen of the hoverflyVolucella Volucella bombylans bombylans,that he had foundat the Universityof LeicesterAttenborough MaggieFrankum Arboretum,in Knighton.These are spectacular bumblebeemimics at the bestof times,but THEPREPARATION OF therewas somethingdifferent about this one ...... ColourPlate 8 in "BritishHoverflies" INSECTGENITALIA FOR [Stubbs& Falk,2000] shows three colour MICROSCOPIC EXAM INATION forms:-a typicalred{ail form [1b], mimicking red-tailbumblebees such as Bombus Writingas a dipterist,it is noteasy to find lapidarius; and a white-tailform 11a)fvar. informationabout this topic in the currently plu matal mimicking wh ite-tail bumblebees availableliterature. Although'A Dipterist's suchas Bombus hortorum: and a brown- Handbook'(Alan Stubbs and PeterChandler, hairedform ['1c] [from lreland], However, A.E.S.1978) is packedwith usefuladvice, the Garethhad found yet anothercolour form, textabout genitalia (p15) refers the readerto similarto var.plumatabutwith a red tail,not an earlierbook, 'Fliesof the Britishlsles' white,and a"lizz" very much like Bombus (Colyerand Hammond1968)for the detailsof pratorum. the technique.The implicationseems to be I managedto relaxand set the specimen, that perhapsinsect genitalia preparations are photographedit and sent it to RogerMorris at for the more advancedstudent, but I would EnglishNature, Peterborough. Alan Stubbs questionthat. lt is certainlytrue that a good mentionedthat he'd heard of sucha formbut microscopeof aboutX50 magnificationis hadnever seen one, neither had Roger, so essential,but for a dipterist,this is essential theythink it's unusual! anyway.The fact is that in manygenera, the sharpdiflerences between the genitaliaof Furtherreadinq:- species,which otherwise look rather similat, greatlyfacilitates identif ication. This is clearlyof Alan E. Stubbs& StevenJ. FalkBritish as greata helpto the beginner,as to the expert HoverlliesBENHS 2000. seekingconfirmation of a criticalvoucher FrancisS. GilbertHovertliesNaturalists' specimen. Handbooks5, RichmondPubtishing Co. Ltd. The basictechnique, is describedbelow. OliverE. Prys-Jones& SarahA. Corbet Bumblebees.Naturalists' Handbooks 6, A TECHNIQUEFOR THE PREPARATION OF RichmondPublishing Co. Ltd. GENITALIAFOR MICROSCOPIC Ted Benton The Bumblebeesof Essex EXAMINATION LopingaBooks. 1. Usinga needleand fine forceps, dissect off the hindtwo or threeabdominal segments. Leavefor an hour,or overnight,or as longas necessary,in 10%potassium hydroxide Althoughthe preparationof a permanentmount solution.I haveseen a numberof is timeconsuming,dissection and examination t differentcontainers used. Where a numberof is extremelyqulck and usuallyeasy. lt alsois genitaliaare preparedsimultaneously, the the best way to be certainof the identification plasticplaquettes used for pillsand tabletscan of many.species. be used.Another variation on thisis the multiplateused for the innoculationof bacteria. (Availablefrom BibbySterilin, Tilling Drive, The ClementsBlock - Smallspecimen tubes Stone,Staffs. ST15 0SA). The benefitof these held in a drilledwooden block. containersis thatonly a smalldrop of potassiumhydroxide solution is needed. 100/0KOH - _-.- Specimensmay also be transferredbetween Water --.- smallspecimen tubes of the solutionsand thesemay be placedin a hot water-bathto AlcoholSolutions speedup the processif necessary.The \f genitaliamay alsobe transferredinto embryo 'l cups.The advantageof the latteris thatthe specimensare easily accessible for furtherdissection and examination during immersion.This is veryuseful when one is burstingwith curiosity to knowwhat the name of a speciesisl !

2. Rinsein water,either by transferringto anothercontainer, or by replacingthe solution usinga pipette. Card-mountedspecimen 3. Neutraliseby leavingfor a few minutesin on pin 5% AceticAcid.

4. Washagain in water.

5. lf the specimenis to be mountedin Canada balsam,or Euparal,take the specimenup ol througha seriesof Alcoholsolutions (30%, 60%,Abs). lsopropyl alcohol (Sold by Henshaws)can be useinstead of ethanol.

6. Mountthe specimenin a suitablemountant. Thisis bestdone on a glasscoverslip which haspreviously been glued to a pieceof card.lf v the soecimenhas been well washed in water,it maybe mountedin a saturatedsolution of John Kramer DMHFresin in water.This carded genitalia preparationis thenpinned below the carded specimen,so thatthe two remaintogether. Lightpollution and insects Allowthe viscousresin to air-drv,and store horizontally.. I readan articlein CountryLiving. (June 2003) The specimenmay also be mountedin70% on the affectsof lighton birdactivity and glycerinein a microvial,or pluggedplastic wildlifein general.I am suremany of you have tubing,or in a well,melted into plasttc sheet hearda Robinor Blackbirdsinging in the dead usinga hot nail.This latter may be sealedover of nightin urbanareas where our 24 hourlife by a pieceof Sellotape. stylehas a profoundaffect on birdactivity. lf the specimenhas dried out, placing the lnsectstoo may be affectedby a24 hourday genitaliain water,or in a potassiumhydroxide but to what extentis harderto say. Many soluitionfor a few minutes,is oftensufficient to speciesof hawk mothonly mateon dark renderthe structuresclearly visible. lf it turns moonlessnights. Has lightpollution played a outto be a commonspecies, further work may oartin the declineof hawk moths?Insects that be deemedunnecessary, and, after making the emitlight to attracta matee.g. glow-worms record.the specimencan be discarded. (Lampyrisnoctulica) may also be affected.But thesedays it is not only urbanareas that are aifected.Thanks to the MilleniumCommission manya countrychurch are nowlit up at night A T andworse, usually from ground level with the lightspointing up into the sky! v FrankClark Review Oaks,Dragonflies and People Creatinga smallnature reserve and relatingits storyto widerconservation issues.

By NormanW. Moore

NormanMoore was ChiefAdvisory Officer, '1979-83. NatureConservancy Council from Thisbook describes how, over 40 years,he transformeda barefield adjacent to his Spring2003 Cambridgeshirehome into a privatenature reserve.With a wood,a mereand rough grasslandthis has, after trial and error, FOREWORD provideda habitatfor a widerange of wildlife. The bookdetails the colonisationof the reserve HelloFriends and Members by plantsand and, in particular dragon{lies.Highly recommended. Buglife- The InvertebrateConservation Trust Publishedby HarleyBooks, ISBN 0-946589- has now completedits firstyear of operational 71-2.Price tl5.95. activities.The secondsix monthshave seen severalsuccesses for the developmentof FieldGuide to the Moths of GreatBritain Buglife:unfortunately the sameperiod has and lreland seena numberof disappointingoutcomes for Waring,P & Townsend,M. withillustrations by invertebrates. RichardLewington. Pricet29.95. The planningsystem is supposedto ensure that all interestsare taken intoaccount, ano Thisbook could be the answerto everymoth thatthe outcomesare the best oossiblefor trapper'sand field entomologist's prayers. The everyone.However, the squeakywheel gets mainfeature of thisbook is the illustrations the oil,and unlessenvironmental concerns are whichdepict each species not as seenas promotedthere is a constantdanger that they cabinetspecimens but as theyappear when willnot be givenadequate priority. In many living.With more than 400 pagesincluding planningcases there are just notenough 1,600this book is a niust. peoplewith enough time to representthe needsof the environmentadequately. FrankClark v When it comesto invertebratesbeing Obituary consideredadequately in the planningprocess the pictureis quitegrim. VeryJew SSSI's have It was withgreat sadness that we learntof the beendesignated specif ically to conserve deathof JohnBullock on the 31'tMarch 2003. invertebratesand there has neverbeen a Johnwas a foundermember of the LESand reviewof the SSSI systemto ensurethat hadan inordinatefondness for beetles. invertebratespecies are adequatelyprotected. As a resulta greatmany invertebratesare FrankClark (Ed) extremelypoorly protected by the SSSI system,and, as the SSSIsystem is the main basisfor protectingwildlife in the planning system,they are also veryvulnerable to inappropriatedevelopments. The examplesin this newslettershow the extremedamage to biodiversitythat can resultfrom this loophole.

To ensurethat invertebratesare in the future betterprotected from inappropriate developmentsthere are a numberof issues thatneed to be tackled:- few valuedremnants . PlanningPolicy Guidance 9 (Wildlifeand invertebratefauna of our we haveto try and Countryside)should give clearer guidance of wildnature, or would ! surveysto try on the imPortanceof conserving carryout desperatelast-minute thatwe enjoy? biodiversitY. and savethe countryside to thinkabout as we . WildlifeLaw has to give betterprotection to Something Plan invertebratem icro-habitats. nextseason's work, PerhaPs? . Developmentsthat could destroY Kramer populationsof BiodiversityAction Plan John priorityspecies should be subjectto an exoertassessment. Fungiand Insects. o A clearand oPenProcess has to be developed,in whichthere is sufficienttime These notes were preparedby Richardlliffe for invertebrateconservation to be and summarizetwo recenttalks given by considered. Tony Fletcherto the LeicestershireFungi r The eflectivenessof the SSSIsystem in Study Group and Leicestershire conservinginvertebrates should be EntomologicalSocietY. reviewed. Whenwe collectfungi on ourforays we are Mostimportantly, decision makers have to start primarilyinterested in howthey look, where to taketheir responsibility to protectbiodiversity theygrow, how to identifythem and, perhaps' moreseriously and recognisethat proper whetherwe can eatthem. We givelittle v protectionof biodiversityhas to includethe thoughtto the widerrelationships that they may orotectionof invertebrates. havewithin the ecosystem,beyond perhaps knowingthat some relate to trees,and others Morework is neededto preventfurther breakdown organic matter for re-cycling.We disasters. pickspecimens for identificationand note in passingthat many have been damaged by MattShardlow slugsor, occasionally,chewed by rodents.We ConservationDirector see littleblack or brownmites in the gills,and [email protected] ourcollecting boxes at the endof the dayhave variouscreepy-crawlies wandering about in the A CautionaryTale! bottomwhich, hopefully, we tip outonto the compostheap where they can continue their adventurouslittle lives. I hada mailshot from Buglife a fewweeks ago' Buglifeis the newlythe Jirstconservation At a recentmeeting of Leicestershire organisationin Europecommitted to the EntomologtcalSociety a passingreference was conservationof endangeredinvertebrates and madeto certainmoths and caterpillars that theirhabitats. Their Conservation Director is havecryptic markings enabling them to hideon MattShardlow and he willbe givinga talkto lichencovered tree bark. Thisprompted the LeicesterLiterary and PhilosophicalSociety thoughtson whatother relationships might on 26 November2003. existbetween insects and bothlrchens and fungi. As a resultTony was askedif he would Thisparticular mailwas appealing for givea talkto the EntomologicalSociety on invertebratespecialists to go and helpto relationshipsbetween the lowerplants and cataloguethe endangeredspecies of Tonywas delightedto embarkon the AucheninnesMoss, near Dalbeattie In insects. project.He recalleda youthful interestin Scotland.This is a raisedbog which the breedingmoths and butterflies,abandoned Dumfriesand GallowayCouncil are planningto laterin favourof hispassion for lichens.He useas a rubbishdump. Of allthe things you acceptedthe challengewith enthusiasm and coutduse a pieceof wildand beautifulnature aftersome threemonths of absorbingresearch for,a rubbishdump would perhaps be oneof he unearthedsufficient material to givetwo the leastdesirable. However, it is,alas the way separatetalks, differing slightly to meetthe we livenow. interestsof the two societiesinvolved, abundantlyillustrated by slidesfrom his travels What if the same pressureswere to produce aroundthe world. the sameresult in Leicestershire?The headlinesare notdifficult to imagine. Tony admittedat the outsetthat he hadtaken a 'Mountain of rubbish threatens to very liberalinterpretation of whatconstituted an 'BradgatePark (Lucas overwhelmLetcester', ,and he had includeda numberof designatedas Landfill Marsh?Ketton Quarry?) 'honorary'insects in histalk, primarily because to defendthe Wildlife sites Site.'Are we ready they were too interestingto be leftout. These Can we listthe endangered in Letcestershire? includedthe gianttortoises on the Galapagos lslandswhich are largeenough and slow farmers and gardenersas eelworms.Once v movingenough to accumulatelichen (Physcia againwe arestretching our definitions a little picta)growlhs on the uppersurface of their and treatingthese creatures as honorary shells.lt wasthought puzzling that the lichens insects.Some soil inhabiting fungiform loops appearedto be selective- onlythe males in theirfilaments. A nematodeworm enters the carriedthem. Thenit was realisedthat they loopby chance,or may be encouragedby an wereunable to surviveon the shellsof females attractant,and is heldby a stickymucus. becausethey were removedby abrasion Growthscalled haustoria extend from the duringamorous activities! fungusinto the worm. Theseextract nutrients fromthe wormby secretingenzymes and Tonyintroduced the topic by bringingus up to feedingon the resulting"soup". In the more datewith recent concepts in phylogenetics. activeforms the loopconstricts as soonas the Whittakerintroduced the well-knownconceot of wormenters, like a noosetightening. Other FiveKingdoms in 1969:Bacteria, protists, fungihave external sticky'knobs' on whicha animals,plants and f ungi. The myxomycetes passingnematode is caught,allowing haustoria wereadded as a sub-divisionof thefungi. In to enteras before. the relativelyshort period of timesince then our knowledgehas advanced considerably, To illustratethe complexityof the relationships particularlysince we havebeen able to use betweeninsects and fungiTony referredto a bothRNA and DNAsequences to study Germanresearch paper on the slimemould, relationships.Myxomycetes are now Brefeldiamaxima. This forms a mat uo to 2 to .y separatedinto three distinct phyla, more 3 metresin areaand up to 4 to 5 cm.thick. A closelyrelated to the protistathan to the fungi. widerange of animalorders has been found to 'fungus', To putthis into perspective these three phyla associatewith this fromthe many arebelieved to be moredistantly related to mitesand springtails that graze on it,to the eachother than are animals to plants,which in manyother insects and spidersthat visit it to factcome quite close together in the feed,or to predateother animals, to find evolutionary'tree'.Surprisingly Ascomycete shelter,or justvisit by chance,like wandering and Basidiomycetefungi are now believedto beetles.The mostunexpected was probably be very advancedand to haveevolved more the spottedflycatcher that came regularlyto recentlythan animals and plants. Withinthe takeinsects. There is an obviousopportunity animalKingdom it was oncethought that herefor furtherresearch. Brefeldia maximais insectsevolved more or lessat the sametime describedas widespreadover most of Britain as theflowering plants, but current research on decayedwood and it will doubtlessbe out revealsthat many insect orders appear to have theresomewhere in ourtwo counties, so first startedat the endof the CarboniferousPeriod find it andthen enjoy counting the different or the startof the Permean,coinciding with the animals!But why not lookat other appearanceof presentday ferns. Flowering myxomycetes,or indeedother fungi? Easierto plantsand their sap-sucking insects (bugs, findand havingcomparable numbers of insect aphids)came in muchlater, during the visitorsis Dryad'sSaddle, Polyporus Cretaceous. squamosus.This is one of our largestfungi and is soft and fleshywith very largepores on Thereis estimatedto be in excessof 1.5 the under-surfaceso is easyfor small million"fungi" in ourmodern world, but this invertebratesto penetrateor to usefor shelter. estimatetends to risewith time as moreand Up to 246 dilferentspecies have been moreare discovered annually. There may be recordedin one largefruit body. lt grows between3 and4 millioninsect specles, though annuallyand is at itsbest in latespring and 'tip againthis is believedto be the of the earlysummer on bothdead stumps and the iceberg'withvast numbers as yet trunksof livingtrees. The bigquestion is where undiscovered.Recent estimates out the are these insectsduring the restof the year numberas highas 30 million. when the fungushas rottedaway? Another bracketfungus that attractsinsects is the Birch Notwithstandingtheir place in the evolutionary Polypore,Piptoporus betulinus, and 102 timetablemany fungi are simple in formand differentspecies have been recordedin some behavemuch likebacteria. The great associationwith it. Thisgrows on deadbirch majorityof fungi,however, are filamentous, and wood and the soft new growthsappear in early someof theseexhibit extraordinary behaviour. autumn.They remain in placeJor twelve Somecan predatenematodes. Vast numbers monthsor moreso may attractdifferent ' of nematodespecies are known.These are speciesof insectover this period. One way to verysmall worm-like creatures that live in soil studythe relationshipsis to placea mature or soil-water,ranging in sizefrom microscopic bracketinside a plasticbag or boxand inspect to a few millimetresin length.Many feed on it at regularintervals to countthe "catch". vegetablematter and are well knownto Plasticbags are not favouredby mycologists for collectingfungi as theyencourage them. We can observethis ourselves where condensationand rapiddecay but herewe are newlyinfected trees are observedto show lookingat fungifrom the pointof viewof the yellowlngand dyingof the leavesprogressively rL entomologist.Hard woody brackets can be from the uppergrowths, spreading downwards studiedin the sameway, though in thesewe to other.partsof thetree. wouldexpect to findmainly wood-boring beetlesand their larvae. Beetlesare notthe onlyspreaders of fung,. Manyother insects introduce them and other Watchersof wildlifeprogrammes on television diseasesinto living plants. The spectacular arenow familiar with leaf-cutting ants which woodwasps with their long ovipositors take a take leaffragments back to theirnests, and shareof the blame,as do the various withthe Africantermites that behavein a sapsuckerslike scale insects and aphids. similarway though more secretively. Ants and Some scaleinsects carry fungi of lhe Stereum termitesare classifiedwithin different orders of groupon theirouter casings. The fungus insects.Ants are quiteadvanced and are sendshaustoria through the casingto extract groupedwith bees and wasps; termites are nutrientswithout killing the insects,though it moreprimitive and closerto cockroaches. appearsto stopthem reproducing.Some scale Bothmasticate leaf fragments and placethem insectspick up fungalspores on theirbodies in galleriesin theirnests where they produce andthese germinate after the rnsectpierces fungalgrowths on whichboth the adultsand the hostplant and feeds on itssap. The younginsects feed. Thisis a highlyorganised insectsare heldcaptive in fungalchambers processwith castes of insectshaving specific and are exploitedby the fungus, like oil wells! !- tasksas collectors,guards protecting the Aroundthe fungusmat, at the periphery,are collectors,gardeners preparing the fungus emptychambers, specially constructed with beds,nurses feeding the young,and refuse lids. Thesehost uninfected scale insects that collectorsdisposing of spentf ungus to make areable to reproduce.Somehow a mechanrsm roomfor new growths.The cultivatedfungi in is maintainedso thatonly half of the scale termitenests are not ableto reproduceinside insectpopulation is infectedand is usedto help theirmassive galleries, but if theyhave access thefungus gain food. The otherhalf lives to the open air,either on materialrejected from f reely. the nestor throughcracks in the outercasing of the nest,they will produce fruiting bodies, Infectionscan, however, go in the opposite and theseare regardedas delicaciesby the directionand fungi are beingused more and localhuman population. lt appearsthat the morefor controllinginsects. Many f ungi are termitesare selectivein the fungalspecies that parasitesof rnsects.fhe Entomophthora theycultivate, so somelong term association groupattacks flies. As a specific f ungus mayhave evolved - eitherthe fungus attacksa specific speciesof fly, by identifying (Termitomyces)is specificto a certainplant thefly (by no meanseasy!) the fungus can be leafwhich the termites collect, or thetermites named.The sporesmay be ingestedor they havethe abilityto recognisethe f ungus and maysettle on the younglarval stage. The introduceit to theircultures. They are, in fact, fungusgrows inside the matureinsect, slowly practising agricullure! dissolvingthe tissues.When the fly is,titerally, t on its lastlegs, it crawlsto a highpoint on Closerto homewe havethe Ambrosia Beetles. vegetationwhere it attacheswith its proboscis, Thesewood-boring beetles also culture fungi probablyat thatstage its only means of as foodin theirgalleries. There are many support.lt diesand the fungalgrowths then beetlesthat do thisbut the mostinfamous is appearon the outside,between the abdominal probablythe Elm Bark Beetle,Scolytus segments,where they produce wind distributed scolytus,which is blamedfor introducingDutch spores. lt is one of the mysteriesof naturethat Elm Diseaseto our nativetrees. lt maybe a bit thef ly's f inal behaviour should Javour the unfairto blamethe beetleas we havehad distributionof the fungalspores. A similar themfor countlessyears, they just happened to phenomenoncan sometimesbe seenin the be the meansof transmissionof a more homewhen flies die on the insideof a virulentform of the fungaldisease that came windowpane.Again they attach by their intothis country on timberimported from North proboscisand a whitehalo of ejectedfunga, America.The beetlesmake their galleries in sporescan be seenon the glasswithin a few deadwood, where a fungaldisease would not centimetresof the corpse. be expectedto spreadand harmthe tree. lt is nowthought that these beetles, carrying the Mycologistsare familiarwilh Cordyceps fungalspores, feed on the openingbuds of elm militaris.This is also a fungusthat feeds on and introducethe fungus into the tissues of the insects,usually the .The spore treethis way. The fungusthen invades the infectsa caterpillarwhich lives to nearthe phloemvessels of the livingtree and blocks pupationstage when it burrowsinto soil before dying. In springor summerthe f ungus sends havemany others which derive from their > up an orange-scarletclub shaped fruiting body differentform, texture and colour, and from geveralcentimetres long which produces theiralgal content which offers an extrafood sporesto infectfurther moth larvae. World- source. Many invertebratesare recordedas widethere are manysuch f ungi, some grazingthe surfaceof lichenswhere the algae attackinglarvae and others killing the mature are distributed.The algaeprovide starches insect.Tony showed a slideof a South and are morenutritious than the'parent' AmericanSoldier Ant infectedby a speciesof fungus.This is noticedon someseashore Cordyceps. lichenswhich carry a vast invertebratefauna and are heavilygrazed, particularly by No discussionof fungiand insectscan omit the gastropods.Studies of terrestriallichens on Stinkhorn,Phallus impudicus. Here the rockshave revealed great densities of mites- relationshipsare benevolent.The fungus,itself up to 20,000per square metre! a wonderof nature,grows rapidly from a jelly protected"egg" by usingpowerful water Museumcollections of lichenshave to be pumpingcells at itsbase. lt expandsand monitoredvery carefully as theycan be raisesa greenishstinking spore mass high attackedby booklice,barklice or psocids. abovethe woodlandfloor where it sendsout an Theseare, of course,abundant on lichensin aromairresistible to blow-fliesand other the wild. Somepsocid nymphs attach particles insects.The flieseat and removethe spores tn fromthe lichensto theirbodies to orovide a matterof an houror two andthus distribure camouflage.Some beetles and largeweevils > them far and wide. Thereare even reportsof in NewGuinea have developed the samehabit beesattracted to phalloidexudate. andare believedto be importantin thespread of lichensto new habitats. ln additionto the Thereare manyother benign relationships productionof sexualfruiting bodies, which send betweenfungi and insects.Many beetle outf ungal spores, many lichens produce fine speciescarry Laboulbeniales fungi on their particles(soredia) on the surfaceof thethallus, outercasings, giving them a whitedusty containingboth the fungus and the algal appearance.Here the fungi are benign;they associateand this may be the mostefficient penetratethe integumentbut don'treach the meansof lichendispersal as the particlecan internaltissue. Each comprises only a few growas soon as it settlesin a suitablehabitat. cellsbut they have the abilityto producea Legsof bark insectsare oftencovered in these fruitingbody (perithecium) and send out soredia.A sporehas to run the lotteryof spores.Although simple in structurethese findinga suitablealgal partner before it can muchoverlooked fungi are believedto be growinto a lichen. highlyevolved and specific to differentinsects, or evento differentDarts of the outersurface of Manyinsects have adapted to mimiclichens, an insect. notablythe mothsthat settle on lichen-covered treebark. Thisprompts another of those There is greatscope for further research as so intriguingevolutionary questions. How do pale littleis knownabout many of theseinsect/fungi colouredmoths know that they must settle only relationships.One obvious question is where on the oalelichen in orderto be secure? do allthe manymites and springtails seen in Somemoths have long been recorded as using ourgarden fungi go whenno fruitbodiesare lichensas a larvalfood plant, and this may well availablefrom the autumnto earlysummer? be true,though it is difficultto findany conclusiveresearch where larvae have been Mossesalso provide food and shelter for many raisedin captivityfed purelyon lichens.The insects.Both mosses and lichenshave the MarbledBeauty is saidto uselichens on rocks advantageover fungi of beingpresent all the as a foodplant, whereas the adultmimics year. Sphagnumhasbeen most studied in this lichenon treebark. Mothbooks record lichen- respect. lt has an advantageover other feedingspecies known from Leicestershire,yet mossesand flowering plants in thatit has theirhost lichen has been extinct here for soecialwater-filled cells in the leaves. Rotifers nearly200 years!This would be an interesting and otherinvertebrates live in these cells which linkfor entomologiststo pursue. The resembleminiature aquaria! Mosses produce associationbetween moth colouration and sporescontaining 30%fat and these are a lichenshas been well illustrated by the goodfood sourcefor many insects.Ants have PepperedMoth which evolved a darkform beennoted to nip off mosscapsules and to whenaerial pollution blackened lichen covered '1840's carrythem back to theirnests. tree barkf rom the onwards.The moth is now revertingto the paleform since the Tony,as a lichenspecialist, went on to saythat CleanAir Act led to a greatreduction in almostall the relationshipsfound in fungiapply atmosphericpollution from the early1980's. to lichenisedfungi also, but the lichensmay Pollutioncaused a greatdecline in lichen populationsduring the twentiethcentury but '1980 since theyappear to be returningto the Midlandsat an encouragingrate. lt wouldbe - interestingto knowwhether lichen feeding mothsdeclined during the sameperiod and whetherthey also are now becomingmore frequent. Excessnitrogen in the atmosphere is now encouragingalgae, giving a greenish hueto treebark; should we be on the lookout for moregreen colouration in our moths?

Tonyfinished on a noteof encouragement. Relationshipsbetween lower animals and lowerplants, including fungi and myxomycetes, arevaried and subtle, and we havehardly begunto documentthem. Amateurslike ourselves,with modest knowledge, have a greatpart to play. The equipmentrequired is simple- mostof us useit already;we simply needtime, enthusiasm, and a desireto explore.We caneven begin in ourown back Smalltortorseshell (Agla is urlicae) gardens! v

A butterflyyear GateKeeper(Py ron ia tit h on u s) As mentionedearlier tf,e nrl-'o"rs of Painteo Ladyhave been exceptionalthis year. But I am v . '&a sure everyonehas noticedthat many other i"':: speciesof butterflyhave been more abundant w thisyear. In a recentarticle by RobinPage in ffiffi; the Weekendsection of the Telegraph(August 30'h2003) it seemsthat just about all of our Britishbutterilies, resident or migranthave benefitedfrom the exceptionalweather. lt is not only butterflies that appearto have benefited: dragonfliesseem to have been more numerous.What have your observations been thissummer? Let us havethem for Newsletter ?n ,* tu

Four-spotted chaser (Li be I I u la quad rim acu Iata)

FrankClark

10 :' L.E.S.Meetings 2003-2004

All indoormeetings are heldat HollyHayes, 216 BirstalRoad, Birstall,starting at 7.30pm.Exhibits are welcome and refreshments are included.

2003 Thursday9 October MembersEvening Bringalong exhibits, and discuss the happeningsof the summer.

Thursday13 NovemberSub-fossil insects from old river channels talkby MalcolmGreenwood

Tuesday2 December AGMand Slide Evening

2004 '15 'v Thursday January Insectsand disease. A talkby yourChairman, Ray Morris.

Thursday12 FebruaryChrisOToole The RedMason Bee: Taking the Stingout of BeekeePing' 'Buddon Thursday11 March thenand Now'. Talk by PeterGamble

Thursday15 April The LeicestershireInsect Collections. A meetingled by DerekLott and Tony Fletcher at the CollectionResources Centre, Barrow on Soar.

The collectionswill be exhibited,their use, and the roleof the LeicestershireEntomological Society will be discussed.An important meetingfor everyoneconcerned about insects and their conservation, in Leicestershire.

Belowis a mapof howto getto The CollectionResources Centre, Barrow on Soar,grid ref. SK593163. v

ll LEICESTERLITERARY & PHILOSOPHICALSOCIETY. MEETINGS WITHAN ENTOMOLOGICALTHEME

LeicesterLiterary and PhilosophicalSociety have kindly invited us to attendthe meetings detailedbelow, as visitors. 'lts Wed 26thNovember 2003 a Bug'sLife - The Roleof 'Buglifein The Conservationof Invertebrates'.A talkbv MattShardlow (Conservation Directorof Buglife)

Wed.3 March2004 'Lifein the Darkness'a talkabout the invertebrate lifeof caves,by JohnJones.

The meetingstake place at the LeicesterMuseum, New Walk, from 7.00pm for a 7.30pmstart, and visitors are charged f 1 to helpin covering expenses.

Pleafrom the Editor lf youare sendingitems for the newsletterit wouldsave time, and reduceerrors, if theycould be submittedelectronically i.e. on discor as an attachmentto an email.lf thisis not possiblehand or typewritten items are acceptable. lt wouldalso be helpfulif the scientificnames of all plantsand animalsare given. Also when giving the localityof a findor observationplease give a grid reference.

FrankClark Editor

Lookingfor adviceor information? The followingare willingto act as an initialpoint o{ contactfor providingadvice and informationto members.As youwill see, this list is far fromcomplete - lf youthink you can help,please let us know. Coleoptera DerekLott, Holly Hayes, 2'16 Birstall Road, Birstall, Leicester LE4 4DG Teleohone:01 16 267 1950 Email:dlott@ leics.oov.uk Diptera JohnKramer, 31 AshTree Road, Oadby, Leicester LE2 sTE Telephone:0'1 16 271 6499 Email:[email protected] Hymentoptera(Bees) MaggieFrankum, 3 ChapelLane, Knighton, Leicester LE2 3WF Telephone:01 1 6 270 5833Email: rovf ran kum @ tiscali.co.uk Lepidoptera AdrianRussell, 15 St.Swithin's Road, Leicester LE5 2GE '16 Telephone:01 2415'101 Email:adrian @wainscot.demon.co.uk BiologlcalRecording DarwynSumner, Holly Hayes, 216 BirstallRoad; Birstall, Leicester LE4 4DG (andother orders) Telephone:01 16 267 1950 Email:dsumner@ leics.oov.uk

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