Invertebrate Survey Barnsclose Quarry Leigh-upon-Mendip Somerset Barnsclose Quarry - Invertebrate Survey 2017 Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................ 3 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................................... 3 2.0 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 3 3.0 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................................... 5 RARE AND NOTABLE SPECIES ................................................................................................................ 5 HABITAT QUALITY – ISIS ...................................................................................................................... 7 4.0 DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................ 9 5.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ 10 APPENDIX 1: FULL SPECIES LIST .................................................................................................. 11 LIABILITIES: Whilst every effort has been Made to guarantee the accuracy of this report, it should be noted that living aniMals and plants are capable of Migration/establishing and whilst such species May not have been located during the survey duration, their presence may be found on a site at a later date. This report provides a snap shot of the species that were present at the tiMe of the survey only and does not consider seasonal variation. FurtherMore, where access is liMited or the site supports habitats which are densely vegetated only doMinant species Maybe recorded. The recoMMendations contained within this docuMent are based on a reasonable tiMefraMe between the coMpletion of the survey and the coMMenceMent of any works. If there is any delay between the coMmencement of works that may conflict with tiMefraMes laid out within this docuMent, or have the potential to allow the ingress of protected species, a suitably qualified ecologist should be consulted. It is the duty of care of the landowner/developer to act responsibly and coMply with current environMental legislation if protected species are suspected or found prior to or during works. The Ecology Partnership Ltd 2 Barnsclose Quarry - Invertebrate Survey 2017 1.0 Introduction Background 1.1 The Ecology Partnership Ltd were coMMissioned to undertake an invertebrate survey on land at Barnsclose Quarry, Leigh-upon-Mendip, SoMerset to ascertain the baseline asseMblage of invertebrate species within the site boundary. 1.2 The Ecology Partnership had undertaken previous ecological surveys in April 2017, which highlighted the potential for the site to support a rich asseMblage of invertebrate species. The extent of the site and survey area is shown in appendix 1. 1.3 This report presents the results of the surveys in and around the site, which aiMs specifically to deterMine the baseline levels of invertebrate activity within the site. 1.4 Section 2 of this report sets out the Methodologies of the surveys. In section 3 the results of the surveys are presented. Discussions and iMplications for developMent are found in section 4. Section 5 presents the conclusions drawn froM the report. 2.0 Methodology 2.1 Terrestrial surveys of the site for invertebrates were carried out at the site with 4 survey visits being carried out on 8h, 15th, 19th June and 15th August 2017. All surveys were conducted by Dr Jonty Denton FRES FLS CEcol MCIEEM. Standard field techniques were eMployed to sample the invertebrate fauna across the site. 2.2 Because it is iMpracticable to survey all the potential invertebrates within any given site, only specific groups of species were examined during fieldwork. These groups are sufficiently well known as to allow Meaningful coMparisons to be Made with other sites, both locally and nationally. They are also iMportant as indicators of the quality of a site and the habitats present (Brooks, 1993). The Ecology Partnership Ltd 3 Barnsclose Quarry - Invertebrate Survey 2017 2.3 This survey focused on the Nationally reviewed invertebrate groups, which have had status classifications assigned to each species based on the current and historic distributions (Ball, 1994). Groups covered during the survey were; • Mollusca (slugs and snails) • Arachnida (spiders, harvestMen and pseudoscorpions) • Isopoda (woodlice) • Thysanura (bristletails) • EpheMeroptera (mayflies) • Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) • Plecoptera (stoneflies) • Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets • Dictyoptera (cockroaches) • DerMaptera (earwigs) • HeMiptera-Heteroptera (true-bugs) • HeMiptera-HoMoptera (hoppers) • Neuroptera (lace-wings) • Mecoptera (scorpion-flies) • Lepidoptera (butterflies and Moths) • Trichoptera (caddis flies) • Diptera (true flies) • Aculeate HyMenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) • Coleoptera (beetles) 2.4 In addition soMe species froM other less well known groups which have yet to have official statuses assigned to theM were identified. These included, Parasitic HyMenoptera. The Main eMphasis of the survey was to find as Many rare and notable species as possible within the reviewed groups. The survey area is shown below in figure 1. 2.5 All the terrestrial and arboreal habitat types present across the survey areas were saMpled, using a variety of sampling Methods. This covered the Main activity period for all the invertebrate groups studied. The Methods eMployed included standard techniques of sweeping grasses, rushes, sedges, herbs and foliage, beating the foliage, and branches of The Ecology Partnership Ltd 4 Barnsclose Quarry - Invertebrate Survey 2017 trees and bushes, especially blossoM bearing plants such as Hawthorn, Rowan, Sloe over a beating tray (Kirby, 1992). Figure 1. Survey Boundary 3.0 ResuLts 3.1 In total 160 taxa were recorded; the full species list is shown in appendix 1. Rare and Notable Species Arachnida (Spiders) 3.2 Liocranidae (Liocranum rubicolA) – Nationally Scarce B – A large terrestrial spider, found under stone in old quarries, cracks in cliffs and dry stone walls. There are county records of this species for Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Cheshire. There are only four records of this species in SoMerset in the Spider Recording ScheMe database. This is only the second record for the species in SoMerset since 1992. This The Ecology Partnership Ltd 5 Barnsclose Quarry - Invertebrate Survey 2017 species was found to be present within an old Thrush nest situated on an abandoned ceMent lorry adjacent to the works coMpound at the centre of the site. Dermaptera (Earwigs) 3.3 Lesne’s Earwig (ForficulA lesnei) - Nationally Scarce B - A very local species restricted to southern England and Wales. It occurs on open warM sunny hedgerows and woodland edges. Coleoptera (Beetles) 3.4 ChrysoMelidae – LongitArsus Fowleri – Nationally Scarce A. A brown leaf beetle associated with teasel in open disturbed grasslands, quarries etc. The presence of this beetle is given away by the shot holes it leaves after eating the host plant. Local but increasing. Figure 2. Species LocAtions The Ecology Partnership Ltd 6 Barnsclose Quarry - Invertebrate Survey 2017 Habitat Quality – ISIS 3.5 ISIS is a coMputer spreadsheet application for recognising invertebrate asseMblage types in species lists collected at scales ranging froM ManageMent coMpartMents to landscape character area. 3.6 The asseMblage types are labelled in terMs that relate to their favoured habitats in order to Make theM accessible to non-specialists. However, they are actually defined by lists of characteristic species that are generally found together in nature. Two levels are recognised in the classification. Broad asseMblage types (BATs) are a coMprehensive series of asseMblage types that are characterised by More widespread species. They can be expressed in lists froM a wide range of sites. 3.7 Specific asseMblage types (SATs) are characterised by ecologically restricted species and are generally only expressed in lists froM sites with conservation value. Since 2008 there has also been a third category of asseMblage types that cut across this classification. They are Mainly defined by lists of species dependent on a particular environMental resource, such as flowers as a source of pollen and nectar. The asseMblage type classification is given below. Textual descriptions of each asseMblage type and its habitats have been prepared for incorporation into a web-based database. 3.8 For any set of samples, ISIS scores each recognised asseMblage type for representation and conservation value. Target group, sampling effort or seasonal factors can influence soMe of the scoring systeMs used in ISIS. If the results are to be used in CoMMon Standards Monitoring (CSM), it is therefore necessary to follow standard sampling protocols, in order to coMpare asseMblages. Table 1. Arboreal Assemblage Types Arboreal assemblage types A1 arboreal canopy (846) A211 heartwood decay (175) A212 bark & sapwood decay (503) A2 wood decay (1118) A213 fungal fruiting bodies (89) A215 epiphyte fauna (20) The Ecology Partnership Ltd 7 Barnsclose Quarry - Invertebrate Survey 2017 Table 2. Field Layer Assemblage Types Field Layer assemblage types