________________________________ THE SORBY RECORD ________________________________ A Journal of Natural History for the Sheffield Area (Sheffield, Peak National Park, South Yorkshire, North Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire) ____________________ Number 53 2017 ____________________ Guest Editor – Adrian Middleton ____________________ Published by the Sorby Natural History Society Sheffield Registered Charity 518234 ISSN 0260-2245 Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota), an order of ‘mobile’ fungi. New VC records and new British host beetle species. Alan S. Lazenby Laboulbeniales are ectoparasites which grow externally from minute pores on the chiten exoskeleton of living invertebrates. They have been recorded worldwide on hosts including coleoptera - ground beetles and rove beetles are the major hosts, with a few on other genera including water beetles and ladybirds. They have also been recorded on other orders including diptera, cockroaches, ants, millipedes and mites. The fungi can occur singly, scattered over dorsal and ventral surfaces including legs, antenna and mouth parts, or grouped in discrete areas possibly due to transference of spores during mating. See Figures 1-4. The fungi cause little harm to the host, although a heavy infestation can be an incumberance - I have seen a beetle with a large bunch on a leg dragged along like a ball and chain. The majority of Laboulbeniales are host specific occurring on a single species or closely related species. There are more than 265 species recorded from Europe and over 1800 globally. This paper lists all my records of Laboulbeniales including Rachomyces and Asaphomyces and their host beetle species. My oldest record is 86 years old (Fig. 25), it is from the Bombadier beetle, Brachinus crepitans, collected by Phillip Booth in 1930 - Phillip came to a Sorby indoor meeting in the 1980s and he passed on two boxes of beetles, which included this southern species. My first record was in June 1981, about the time I became Ground Beetle Recorder for The Sorby Natural History Society. Because of their minute size the fungi are rarely noticed until seen under a lens or a microscope. I am indebted to my friend Dave Jeffries for his instruction in making microscope slide mounts of the Laboulbeniales, for the loan of a compound microscope, and for much relevant literature on the species. This enabled me to make detailed drawings and species determinations. At Dave’s suggestion these were scanned and sent to Dr Alex Weir, Associate Professor of Mycology, Department of Environmental & Forest Biology, Syracuse, New York. He kindly agreed to look at these and was able to confirm that most of my determinations were correct. He also named further species and suggested other possibilities. BEETLE SPECIES IN PHYLOGENETIC ORDER AND PARASITE LIST. The table below contains specimens from the following 18 Watsonian vice counties (VC) and from France, Spain, Menorca and Cyprus. The VC numbers as follows ... 2 East Cornwall 3 South Devon 4 North Devon 14 East Sussex 39 Staffordshire 40 Shropshire 45 Pembrokeshire 53 South Lincolnshire 54 North Lincolnshire Sorby Record No.53 14 2017 56 Nottinghamshire 57 Derbyshire 59 South Lancashire 62 North East Yorkshire 63 South West Yorkshire 69 Westmorland 96 Easterness 101 Kintyre 105 West Ross 15 host species added to the British host species list compiled by Weir (1996) are shown **. Laboulbenia species known to be new VC records (to VC 53, 54, 63) are shown *. 2 new Laboulbenia species added to Weir’s 1996 list are shown # (Figs. 8 & 16) Laboulbenia casnoniae Thaxter listed in Weir (1996) on Demetrias spp., Dromius spp. and Metabletus spp (now Syntomus spp.) has since been synonimised with L. notiophili. Only two beetle species had more than a single parasite species ... Bembidion varium from Spain had Laboulbenia pedicellata attached to the basal elytra epipleuron, and Laboulbenia luxurians on the apex of the elytra. See Figures 20 and 18. Paradromius linearis from South Lincolnshire with Laboulbenia notiophili growing on the elytra base, and Laboulbenia hyalopoda on the apical tergite. See Figures 19 and 16. The ordering of the table is based on ‘Check list of Beetles of the British Isles’, 2nd ed. by A.G.Duff, Pemberley Books, 2012. Species not found in Britain are marked in the list as ‘NBS’ (Non-British Species). Recent changes in Ground beetle identification The Bembidiini beetle Ocys tachysoides has recently (2016) been found to comprise two species with Ocys harpaloides. This latter species has been commonly recorded in the Sorby recording area (see Ground Beetles of the Sorby Area, Sorby Special Series No 15). I only have five voucher specimens of this previously easily identifiable species, all have been re-identified as O. tachysoides, and it remains to be seen what status these two species have in Britain. Therefore previous records without voucher specimens will have to be recorded as ‘aggregate species’. Recorders Determiners Recorder / Determiner abbreviations used in the table are as follows – ASL, Alan S. Lazenby; AWat, Ashley Watson; AW, Alexander Weir; ELS, Eric Smith; GM, Graham Maynard; LT, Luca Toledano; MLL, Martin Luff; PB, Phillip Booth; and RM, Robert (Bob) Merritt. Abbreviations used LWT Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust NBS Non-British Species Sorby Record No.53 15 2017 Fungi Parasite VC Location site Habitat / Comments Grid Ref Date Coll. Det. Det. Host Para- site Host Ground Beetles Family: Carabidiae Sub Family: Brachininae Brachinus crepitans (L) Laboulbenia rougetii 14 Eastbourne. East from Phillip Booth 1930 PB PB ASL Montague & C.P.Robin in Sussex coll. Given to ASL Robin c1980s Brachinus sclopeta (F) Laboulbenia brachini Mandria, Troodos male 16-01-02 ASL ASL ASL Thaxter Mts. Cyprus Sub Family: Carabinae Tribe: Nebriini Leistus ferrugineus (L) Laboulbenia leisti * 53 Blankney Fen, 1 Garden TF125627 08-03-17 ASL ASL ASL Siemaszko & Siemaszko Upsall Cottage 1928 Tribe: Notiophilini Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili * 63 570 Stannington Rd., Garden SK370887 25-07-81 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Stannington, Sheffield Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili 63 Riggs High Rd., Rd. verge SK294882 07-05-94 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Stannington, Sheffield Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili 63 Effingham Rd., R.Don bank SK371881 13-04-95 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Sheffield Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili 63 33 Ashford Rd., Garden SK336856 19-04-96 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Sheffield 11 Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili 63 Edge Hill Rd., SK339847 01-05-96 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Sheffield Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili 62 Scarborough Art Grounds TA0488 24-04-10 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Gallery Sorby Record No.53 16 2017 Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili * 54 Shirewood, Revesby Woodland TF291621 18-05-14 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili 53 Scopwick field edge TF071580 19-04-15 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Notiophilus biguttatus (F) Laboulbenia notiophili 63 Cat Lane, by Meersbrook on SK360845 25-05-17 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Meersbrook, gravel Sheffield Notiophilus rufipes Curtis Laboulbenia notiophili * 53 Greenman Wood, Woodland TF030600 01-04-91 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Blankney Heath Tribe: Trechini Trechus rubens ** (F) Laboulbenia vulgaris 63 Ladys Bridge, rough ground by R. SK356878 17-06-99 ASL ASL ASL Payritsch Millsands, Sheffield Don Tribe: Bembidiini Asaphidion curtum Laboulbenia imm.indet 63 Sandersons Goyt, R.Don bank SK327889 30-05-02 ASL ASL ASL (Heyden) sp. Attercliffe, Sheffield Asaphidion curtum Laboulbenia thaxteri * 54 Revesby Reservoir south bank TF308632 14-04-10 ASL ASL ASL (Heyden) Cépède & Picard Asaphidion flavipes (L) Laboulbenia thaxteri * 53 Blankney Fen Ditch bottom TF125630 14-04-13 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Asaphidion flavipes (L) Laboulbenia thaxteri 53 Blankney Fen Ditch bottom TF126628 13-05-17 ASL ASL ASL Cépède & Picard Ocys tachysoides ** Laboulbenia vulgaris 53 Metheringham under bark of log TF062612 02-03-13 ASL ASL ASL (Antoine) Payritsch Quarry (disused) Ocys tachysoides (Antoine) Laboulbenia vulgaris 53 Metheringham Two female under TF062602 14-03-17 ASL ASL ASL Payritsch Quarry (disused) Elm log bark, both with L. vulgaris Bembidion aeneum Laboulbenia pedicellata between wet mud 09-03-06 ASL ASL ASL Germar Thaxter Garrucha/Gallardes, Almeria, S.E.Spain Bembidion atrocaeruleum Laboulbenia indet. 96 Lewiston, Loch Ness, by river NM5028 29-05-83 ASL ASL ASL (Stephens) immature sp. Clumbeg House Sorby Record No.53 17 2017 Bembidion biguttatum (F) Laboulbenia pedicellata 53 Blankney Fen, 1 Garden TF125627 08-05-05 ASL ASL ASL Thaxter Upsall Cottage Bembidion biguttatum (F) Laboulbenia pedicellata 53 Blankney Fen Ditch on damp mud TF123627 10-05-16 ASL ASL ASL Thaxter Bembidion biguttatum (F) Laboulbenia pedicellata 53 Blankney Fen Ditch on damp mud TF124627 10-05-16 ASL ASL ASL Thaxter Bembidion biguttatum (F) Laboulbenia pedicellata 53 Blankney Fen Ditch bottom on TF125627 13-05-17 ASL ASL ASL Thaxter damp mud Bembidion biguttatum (F) Laboulbenia pedicellata 63 Cat Lane, Meersbrook under SK360845 25-05-17 ASL ASL ASL Thaxter Meersbrook, pebbles Sheffield Bembidion deletum ** Laboulbenia pedicellata * 63 Handsworth, SK404869 20-06-81 ASL ASL ASL Audinet-Serville Thaxter Sheffield Bembidion deletum Laboulbenia pedicellata 63 Upper Hurst Farm, SK324927 18-05-91 ASL ASL ASL Audinet-Serville Thaxter Wadsley, Sheffield Bembidion deletum