BULLETIN OF THE Dipterists Forum Bulletin No. 71 Spring 2011 Affiliated to the British Entomological and Natural History Society Bulletin No. 71 Spring 2011 ISSN 1358-5029 Editorial panel Bulletin Editor Darwyn Sumner Assistant Editor Judy Webb Dipterists Forum Officers Chairman Martin Drake Vice Chairman Stuart Ball Secretary John Kramer Treasurer Howard Bentley Membership Sec. Mick Parker Field Meetings Sec. Roger Morris Indoor Meetings Sec. Malcolm Smart Publicity Officer Judy Webb Conservation/BAP Officer Barbara Ismay Ordinary Members Chris Spilling, John Showers, Erica McAlister, John Ismay Unelected Members Dip. Digest Editor Peter Chandler Annual Subscription Recording Scheme Organisers Obtainable via subscription to Dipterists Forum: Cranefly Alan Stubbs & John Kramer Annual Membership (N.B. Overseas = £20 total) Fungus Gnats Peter Chandler Forum - £6 (includes Dipterists Bulletin) Hoverflies S.Ball & R.Morris Subscription to Dipterists Digest - £9 Larger Brachycera Simon Hayhow Contact Mr M. Parker, 9, East Wyld Road, Weymouth, Dorset, Tephritid Laurence Clemons DT4 0RP Email: [email protected] to whom all enquiries regarding delivery of this Bulletin should be Sciomyzidae Ian McLean addressed Conopid David Clements Empid & Dollies Adrian Plant & Martin Drake Contributions Anthomyiidae Michael Ackland Dixidae R.H.L. Disney Please refer to later in this Bulletin for details of how to contribute and Culicidae Jolyon Medlock send your material to both of the following: Sepsidae Steve Crellin Bulletin Editor: Darwyn Sumner Tachinid Chris Raper & Matt Smith 122, Link Road, Anstey, Charnwood, Leicestershire LE7 7BX. Stilt & Stalk Darwyn Sumner 0116 212 5075 [email protected] Pipunculid David Gibbs Assistant Editor: Judy Webb Oestridae Andrew Grayson 2 Dorchester Court, Blenheim Road, Kidlington, Oxon. OX5 2JT. 01865 377487 [email protected] Dipterists Forum Website Dipterists Forum Forum www.dipteristsforum.org.uk/ www.dipteristsforum.org.uk/index.php Photographs: Front cover Xyphosia miliaria, Tephritidae, mating, voyeuring, Darwyn Sumner, Mycetophila blanda & Cheilosia caerulescens (above) & Norellia spinipes (opp) Alan Outen & the hairy legged Asilid by Seth Irish (p9). Other photographs as supplied by the authors or the editorial panel who would be pleased to receive illustrations for general purposes. If you want to catch the next front cover, try turning your camera through 90˚ Errata: The Calliphora on the inside front cover of the last Bulletin was actually Protocalliphora azurea - thanks to several hawk-eyed mem- bers. BULLETIN OF THE Dipterists Forum Contents Editorial ....................................................................................... 4 News from the Schemes .............................................................. 5 Notice board .............................................................................. 6 BAP & Conservation ..................................................................................7 UK BAP update ............................................................................................................. 7 Membership Matters .................................................................................9 Checklist of British Isles Diptera updated ...............................................10 Equipment .................................................................................................................. 12 Books .......................................................................................................................... 12 Publications ................................................................................................................ 13 Meetings .................................................................................... 14 Reports .....................................................................................................14 Autumn Field Meeting ............................................................................................... 14 AES Annual Exhibition ............................................................................................... 15 Events Calendar 2011 ................................................................................................ 22 Field Meetings 2011 ................................................................................................... 24 And now ... ............................................................................... 25 Treat yourself to a fly ................................................................................................. 25 Booking Form Booking your place at events (guidelines) Contributing Bulletin items (guidelines) Newsletters Hoverfly #50 Cranefly #21 Tephritidae Desktop publishing: Darwyn Sumner Forum News Editorial Closing down? Cash for flies The recently announced closure of 400 libraries across the UK One of the consequences of current reforms in which the functions should give us cause for concern. When Local Authorities need to and resources of a number of Public Bodies are to be considerably make cuts the first targets are the libraries and the second are the “modified” is that they will no longer be permitted to lobby. Power local museums. It is not clear just how severe that might be but I is being taken away from the likes of Natural England, Environ- have certainly heard that some local museums are considering clo- ment Agency, CCW etc. and being given to local communities. sure of buildings and long-term storage of some of their assets. That’s us - Dipterists Forum is the kind of community that David Access to collections isn’t always as straightforward as we may Cameron means. Start practising your oratorial skills - you are be accustomed to find in our regional and national museums, now officially a watchdog. some are stored away in conditions which can be rather tricky to If you have an interest in such issues, Sue Everett’s column in get at. So if you have a nearby local museum which you know to “British Wildlife” provides a good deal of information and if an have Diptera collections, keep uninformed community group an eye open for any cuts, try does decide to build a park- to make arrangements to look ing lot on your paradise then at them - and review your ar- check out Biodiversity Offset- rangements for the disposal of ting at http://www.defra.gov. your personal collection when uk/environment/biodiversity/ you too get “archived”. offsetting/bio-offsetting.htm - you could get cash for your White Paper on lost flies. the Environment National As part of the UK Govern- ment’s consultation exercise on Federation the proposed White Paper on for Biological the Environment, both NFBR and ALERC responded (Alan Recording Stubbs too had comments - Conference which were seen by the ALERC group before their submission - Plenty of topics in this con- so we weren’t left out). A reply ference - The Future of has been received from Richard Biological recording in the Benyon MP (Minister for Natu- UK - to interest us all. The ral Environment & Fisheries), first day has talks about NBN, selected quotes from his letter ALERC, The BBC Breathing may reassure the recorders and Spaces programme, Biologi- conservationists amongst us: cal Recording in Scotland and the OPAL project. Day 2 has You will know that Defra and talks from Defra about the our agencies have been strong Biodiversity Strategy, But- supporters of biological record- terfly Recording’s slant on ing, providing funds for national recording, an angle on record- schemes and societies, local ing and environmental change record centres and the National from CEH and NFBR’s strat- Biodiversity Network Trust. In egy. After lunch we have John many respects the network of Small child: to Dipterists Forum photographic competitor “Hey mister, it’s flown across to the other side of the stream now” van Breda (the man behind voluntary recorders in this coun- the 2nd part of Recorder’s try provides a fantastic example development (following Stu- of the Big Society approach to conservation. art Ball)) on new technologies for recording, Social Biological For the future, Defra’s Business Plan sets out our commitment to Recording from Charles Roper (yes - you do know his dad) and protecting and enhancing the natural environment as a top prior- Sarah Whild from Birmingham University will talk on training ity. It also commits us to publishing a Natural Environment White the next generation of recorders. Paper which will be a bold and ambitious statement outlining the All at Holiday Inn, Bristol on 7-8 April 2011, contact John New- Government’s vision for the natural environment. The White Paper bould 01305 837364 [email protected] I’ll see will be accompanied by a new biodiversity strategy setting out our you there approach to conserving biodiversity in England. Alongside this, we will need to consider how we should use data and evidence both Reviews in targeting conservation effort and assessing our progress. Do keep your eye open for things that might be of interest to the It’s so reassuring that we are a fantastic example of a principle readers of the Bulletin. Books on Diptera are not published very that UK Government discovered yesterday. often but there are other topics like conservation and biodiversity that definitely interest us. Equipment for photography, microscopy, collecting and breeding too. Do drop a note to the editors. Issue 71 Spring 2011 4 Found something interesting? Don’t forget to tell the scheme organiser.