Recorders’ Newsletter Issue 28 – Autumn 2019 Welcome to our seasonal round-up of biological recording news in the BIS area. The BIS Recorders Newsletter contains articles written by BIS staff, directors and supporters and the wider biological recording community. Many thanks for all your contributions. It is edited by [email protected] and we hope you enjoy reading it. BIS Catch Up 2 to 4 Autumn Beetle Hunt 5 LERCing Around in the App Data 6 & 7 Two New Moth Species for Radnorshire 8 More Firsts at the BPGS AGM 9 BSBI Atlas Round-up 10 & 11 An INNS update on the Invaders 12 & 13 Breconshire Dragonflies 14 Butterflies in Radnorshire 15 Recorder of the Season—Janice Vincett 16 Aculeates of Allt Rhongyr 17 Notable Butterflies of Montgomeryshire 18 Noteworthy Common Darters 19 The Grouse, The Nightjar and the…………... 20 & 21 BIS Event Round up 22 & 23 Who are the INCC? 24 WOS Conference 2019 25 Useful Links 26 6 The Bulwark, Brecon, LD3 7LB 01874 610881 [email protected] www.bis.org.uk Facebook: @BISBrecon Twitter: @BISBrecon1 Record you sightings: BIS WiReD & LERC Wales App 1 BIS Catch-up By Janet Imlach, BIS Manager Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you to Steve who left BIS in October for personal reasons. He will be greatly missed at BIS and by other staff in the Welsh LERCS, for all the support he gave. Steve has been with BIS for 8 years and I thought I would look back at how BIS has progressed because of all the IT development he has done for us and LERC Wales. Steve’s first task in 2012 was to upgrade the network and systems which had evolved on a limited budget over the last 10 years. This development ensured a secure environment for data gathered and through improved server power, provided the means for further development of improved access to data held by BIS. I had always wanted that the public could access BIS data through the website and this was made possible through development of the Data Access Tool (DAT). The public could then search for summary information on species records within a 1km square or look at a species distribution map of records within Wales. By 2013 the DAT had developed to allow access to BIS data by partners and the recorders. Steve then went on to develop the new BIS website which was launched in 2014. It made navigation to main features clearer and enabled users and customers to find information and services much quicker. It included the public DAT and the BIS on-line Wildlife Recording Database (WiReD) This website template was then available to develop websites for other recording organisations such as the Brecknock Moth website which has been a very successful tool for that group. Although the DAT was successful for BIS partners it was felt that a new system could be developed that would be available to LERC Wales partners and have improved functionality. Thanks to Steve’s development of the ‘merged database’ with the other welsh LERCs in 2014, he was able to start work on Aderyn (Biodiversity Information Reporting Database). This was his main project to this day and has proved so successful in providing an automated planning and commercial reporting system for not only BIS but SEWBReC and WWBIC. It provides full access to LERC Wales data for local and national partners plus county recorders and the Wildlife Trusts. It has put LERC Wales way ahead of other UK LERCs technically, and its importance is reflected in that LERC Wales now has a joint Aderyn developer in John Robinson who will carry on the development and maintenance. BIS data analysis One of the last projects Steve was able to do was to add the Data Holdings tool to the BIS website. Clicking on this tool leads you to an Aderyn page showing analysis of the species records in the BIS area by Vice-county, Local Authority or taxon group (See Figure 1). The total number of records in the BIS area is 2,580,922 (18/10/19) which includes records held by adjacent LERCs. Top taxa are Vascular plants (38.9%) followed by Insects (33.6%). Clicking on the taxon group in the legend breaks the super-group down further (Figure 2). The Invertebrate Insect group breaks down into 20 different taxon groups and it is seen that moth records form 73% (632,798 records), followed by butterflies at 10%. Below this pie chart is a graph showing the breakdown of records per year since 1970 and numbers verified or unverified (See Figure 3). In the case of insects, a high proportion are verified, and this is probably due to the fact that moth records are well managed by the 3 main VC recorders in Powys and verified before being sent to BIS. 2 Figure 1 Breakdown of species records by super-group, within BIS area 18/10/2019 Figure 2 Breakdown of insect records within BIS area 18/10/19 3 Figure 3 Comparison of Insect records held in BIS area by date and verification level (18/10/2019) Verification The graph above provides an easy way to identify levels of verification within taxon groups. This has greatly improved over the last 10 years partly because BIS has developed ways for county recorders to access the records we hold through the DAT and then Aderyn as described above. As yet only 7 recorders from BIS area have registered for Aderyn. Alternatively, we can provide downloads on a regular basis from Aderyn if requested. BIS now enters a lot of casual records on-line through WiReD which allows registered experts to verify them online through iRecord. In May 2014 Phil Morgan wrote an article in the BIS newsletter explaining how useful this is. I would encourage county recorders to sign up as it will give them access to a lot more records in their area plus improve quality of BIS data. In the future I would like an easier BIS on-line system to verify BIS records but until then Aderyn is the best way. If you would like any help or training to use Aderyn and iRecord verification, please contact BIS at [email protected] Steve’s farewell lunch at the Honey Café, Bronllys 4 The AutumnBy Buglife BeetleCymru Hunt Oil beetles are under threat and we need your help in recording oil beetles in Wales. Buglife Cymru are asking people to keep a look out for oil beetles when they are out and about this autumn and winter, during which period Wales’ rarest oil beetle - the Rugged oil beetle (Meloe rugosus) - is active. Bizarre lifecycle Rugged oil beetles are primarily nocturnal and the adults can be active between late September and early April in grasslands on chalk, limestone and sandy soils. All known Welsh and UK sites are in calcareous areas. The best way to find them is to search by torchlight in suitable calcareous grassland sites from dusk onwards. Look for wildflower areas or sandy soils where solitary bees may nest – footpaths can be particular hotspots for oil beetles! After mating, the female oil beetle selects a suitable place to dig a nest burrow, often in bare ground near footpaths, into which she lays her eggs. They can lay Rugged oil beetle, Meloe rugosus Photo:©John Walters up to 1000 eggs, usually in 2-3 burrows dug into the soil near to solitary bee nest burrows. In spring, these eggs hatch into rather bizarre, long-legged larvae known as triungulins. Upon hatching, the young larvae climb up flower stems and lay in wait within a flower. When an unsuspecting solitary bee visits the flower to collect nectar and pollen for its own nest, the triungulin attaches itself to the bee and hitches a ride back to its nest. Once inside the nest, the triungulin changes into a more maggot-like larvae and devours the bee’s egg and the protein-rich pollen stores that the bee intended to provide for its own larvae. The beetle larva develops in the bee burrow until it emerges as an adult Rugged oil beetle the following autumn, ready to mate and start the whole cycle again. In Wales, the Rugged oil beetle is currently known from just two locations in South East Wales – near Penallt, Monmouthshire and Cwmdu, Crickhowell, Powys – this species often turns up in gardens! Given that the beetle is most active at night and during the winter months, it is likely that its presence has been overlooked in Wales – it may be more widespread. If you are visiting any calcareous grassland sites this autumn/winter, particularly around dusk or after dark, please look out for Rugged oil beetles! Under threat Oil beetles are reliant on solitary bees to compete their life-cycles and are dependent on the health and diversity of wild bees. Declines in the quality and quantity of wild bee habitat, particularly wildflower-rich grasslands, has contributed to a decline in wild bees and along with them, oil beetles. Oil beetles have been identified as priorities for conservation action in Wales through Section 7 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 meaning work needs to be done to conserve them and their habitats. If you see any large, conspicuous black beetles on your travels, please send details of your sightings, along with a photograph(s), to [email protected]. The following information should ideally be provided: • Date, Location (preferably a 6 to 8 figure grid reference), Recorder name, Brief description of where & when - Photograph(s) to allow us to confirm your identification.