The status and distribution of the horseflies Atylotus plebeius and Hybomitra lurida on the Cheshire Plain area of North West England Including assessments of mire habitats and accounts of other horseflies (Tabanidae) Atylotus plebeius (Fallén) [Cheshire Horsefly]: male from Little Budworth Common 10th June 2018; female from Shemmy Moss 9th June 2018 A report to Gary Hedges, Tanyptera Regional Entomology Project Officer, Entomology, National Museums Liverpool, World Museum, William Brown Street, L3 8EN Email:
[email protected] By entomological consultant Andrew Grayson, ‘Scardale’, High Lane, Beadlam, Nawton, York, YO62 7SX Email:
[email protected] Based on The results of a survey carried out during 2018 Report submitted on 2nd March 2019 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . 1 SUMMARY . 1 THE CHESHIRE PLAIN AREA MIRES . 1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO ATYLOTUS PLEBEIUS IN THE CHESHIRE PLAIN AREA . 2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO HYBOMITRA LURIDA IN THE CHESHIRE PLAIN AREA . 2 OTHER HORSEFLIES RECORDED IN THE CHESHIRE PLAIN AREA . 3 METHODOLOGY FOR THE 2018 SURVEY . 3 INTRODUCTION . 3 RECONNAISSANCE . 4 THE SURVEY . 4 LOCALITIES . 5 ABBOTS MOSS COMPLEX MIRES ON FOREST CAMP LAND . 5 ABBOTS MOSS COMPLEX MIRES ON FORESTRY COMMISSION LAND . 7 BRACKENHURST BOG AND NEWCHURCH COMMON . 8 DELAMERE FOREST MIRES . 9 LITTLE BUDWORTH COMMON MIRES . 17 PETTY POOL AREA WETLANDS . 18 MISCELLANEOUS DELAMERE AREA MIRES . 19 WYBUNBURY MOSS AND CHARTLEY MOSS . 21 BROWN MOSS . 22 CLAREPOOL MOSS AND COLE MERE . 23 THE FENN’S, WHIXALL, BETTISFIELD, WEM AND CADNEY MOSSES COMPLEX SSSI MIRES . 24 POTENTIAL HOST ANIMALS FOR FEMALE TABANIDAE BLOOD MEALS . 26 RESULTS . 27 TABANIDAE . 27 SUMMARY . 27 SPECIES ACCOUNTS . 27 TABLE SHOWING DISSECTION OF HORSEFLY NUMBERS .