sign in sign up
<<
Home , Ant, Spider wasp

Studland dune invertebrate ID guide: , & Image: Andy Murray Image: Rushen

Red Black ant Red wood ant Found in open habitats from Found in open habitats emerg- Found in rough grasslands Found in both coniferous and late summer to early autumn. ing in July and August. A throughout . Males and broad-leaf woodland. Ants A red contains one consists of a queen and sever- females fly in July and August feed primarily on or more queens and a few al thousand workers. Winged and are about twice the size from . hundred workers. males and females emerge for of workers. mating flights in summer, they are twice the size of workers. Image: Hectonichus Image: gbhone Image: Kahhihou

Buff-tailed bumble Silvery leafcutter bee Heath sand Leaden wasp Emerging in early Spring, these Found on sand dunes from A nationally rare . Can Found on sand dunes from are the biggest of the bumble- May to August. They snip be found in the summer on May to August. They run bees. They underground semi-circular sections out of heathland and sand dunes. around on bare sand in search in large groups of around 600 leaves and ferry them back to Nest in the or sand and of which they sting, bees. their in the sand. feeds primarily on moth paralyse and then tow back to . their nest. 1 Studland dune invertebrate ID guide: flies & spiders Image: Gailhampshire Image: Ryszard

Heath bee-fly Mottled bee-fly Dune bee-fly Coastal silver-stiletto fly Found along sandy paths and A rare species only found in Found on coastal sand dunes Found on sand dunes from south facing banks from July to protected areas. Inhabits open from May to July. They pick up May to September. Flies bask late August. The adults visit bell heathland with a mixture of sand grains in a special pocket on patches of bare sand. Fe- heather and other flowering heather and bare sand. Adults at the tip of their , males bury their in the , while mimicking a bee. feed on . these are used to coat their bare sand. They are fast flyers, hover over eggs. flowers and can fly backwards. Image: Fotopamas Image: Chris Moody Image: Brian Fuller

Labyrinth spider Money spider Raft spider Found from June to October Found in grasslands, heath- Found in woodlands, hedge- Semi-aquatic spider, living in in rough grasslands. Produce lands and coastal areas from rows and meadows all bogs and ponds. It catches a thick web at ground level April to October. Females have round. Money spiders make prey by sitting on the water’s along south-facing hedge- stripes, while males are small- up a third of all spiders in the surface, waiting for vibrations rows, in the centre of the web er and pale brown. They build UK. They are less than 3mm from potential prey and then tunnel are the sacs. large orb webs and attach their long. quickly pouncing. egg sacs to in the grass. 2 Studland dune invert ID guide: , crickets, moths & Image: katunchik

Mottled Short-winged conehead Bog bush- Emperor moth Found in grasslands and Found in coastal saltmarshes Found in lowland peat bogs, Found in heathland, wood- heathlands throughout the and sand dunes from July to laying their eggs on purple lands and sand dunes from summer. Males can be seen October. It is a small green bush moor grass and feeding on March to May. A stunning rubbing their legs against their cricket of about 15mm long. heather. moth that flies during the wings to sing and attract night. Females are larger than females. males.

Sand dart moth Goat moth Gatekeeper Silver-studded blue Found in sand dunes from Nationally scarce species, Widespread species in Found mainly on heathland, June to July. Nocturnal cat- found in marshes and wood- southern Britain, found in adults emerge and fly from June erpillars feed on several sand- lands. The caterpillars live hedgerows and woodlands. to August. Colonies don’t move far and congregate on sheltered dune plants and in the inside the trunks of broadleaf The colour and patterning of bushes or grass tussocks. They sand during the day. trees and overwinter four or the wings are very variable have a mutualistic relationship five times before emerging as between individuals. with ants: they eggs near a moth. which chaperone and protect the larvae in return for a sugary treat. 3 Studland dune invertebrate ID guide:

Heath tiger Bloody-nosed beetle Minotaur Beetle Green tiger beetle Found in lowland heathland Found in moss or under stones Found on heathland and Found in sandy areas such as from April to September. Larvae from April to June. Large and dry sandy grasslands all year heaths and sand dunes from live in vertical sandy , flightless, mainly active at night. round, but most common in April to September. Feed on ambushing prey that pass by the When threatened they exude Spring and Autumn. They bury , which are chased on entrance. Adults catch their prey a drop of bright red fluid from rabbit dung in burrows up to the ground. It is one of the in fast pursuit across the bare their mouth. 1m deep, laying their eggs fastest running insects there ground or through the air. inside the dung. is. Larvae lurk in burrows and ambush passing prey. Image: linsepatron

Sulfur dune beetle Dune chafer Silver-studded blue The adults feed on so Found on sand dunes from are often seen gathered on June to August. Large swarms flowers. The larvae live in the suddenly hatch from pupae sand near the base of various buried in the sand. plants.

4 Studland dune invertebrate ID guide: dragonflies

RuddyFour-spotted darter chaser Emerald damselfy RuddyFour-spotted darter chaser Found in shallow marshland Can be seen from June to Found in May to September, at habitats of low acidity from October, on still waters. Has a the margins of water sources June to October. Feeds on metallic green body, males also on heathland and moorland. insects and is often perched have a blue coloration on the It is an active dragonfly that on twigs. top and bottom of their spends a lot of time hunting abdomen. and marking out its territory.

Dynamic Dunescapes is a partnership project rejuvenating sand dunes across England and Wales, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the EU LIFE Programme. Partners are Natural England, Plantlife, Natural Resources Wales, National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts.

Image Credits: “Yellow meadow ant ( flavus) with Cyphoderus albinus and a maybe ?” by andybadger “linyphiidae” by brianfuller6385 is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ licenses/by-sa/2.0/ “Raft Spider - fimbriatus” by Chris_Moody is licensed with CC BY-NC 2.0. To view a “ rufa - Red wood ant” by Rushen! is licensed with CC BY-NC 2.0. To view a copy of this copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ “Therevidae. Coastal Silver Stiletto Fly. Acrosanthe annulata” by gailhampshire is licensed with CC “Agelena Labyrinthica” by v is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https:// BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ “Bombylius minor” by Ryszard I is licensed with CC BY-NC 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit “Мечник короткокрылый / Conocephalus dorsalis / Short-winged Conehead / Kurzflüglige Schw- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ ertschrecke” by katunchik is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https:// “File:Pompilidae - cinereus.JPG” by Hectonichus is licensed with CC BY-SA 3.0. To view a creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 “Heath Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sylvatica)” by @naturebftb is licensed with CC BY-NC 2.0. To view a “Ammophila pubescens F” by kahhihou is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/ “Who is pokeing out of its burrow ? A Silvery Leaf-Cutter Bee” by gbohne is licensed with CC BY-SA “Dune Chafer - Anomala dubia” by linsepatron is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ 5