Isle of Wight Wildlife Recording Challenge 2020 Here is the complete list of flora and fauna recorded during my self-set wildlife recording challenge. My aim was to see 2020 species on the Isle of Wight during the year and despite the lockdown it was a success with 2211 species recorded and two where two subspecies were recorded. Ten aggregate taxa were included where identification to species was not possible. The list includes naturalised non-native species, accidentally introduced species, a few free-living escapes, feral species and one deliberate introduction. More than 1850 species were photographed. A number of species on the list had not been recorded previously on the Isle of Wight. These new county records are highlighted in pink. Several more, potentially new species that are still to be checked, are highlighted in orange. Blue text indicates species I hadn’t seen before. Species are listed by taxonomic group with the date and location of the first record of the year. Some were recorded on many occasions throughout the year. I am immensely grateful for the help and support I received throughout the year. Keeping me up to date with news, specimens, moth nights, tips on where to look for plants, forays and particularly help with plant identification. Hopefully there aren’t any mistakes but if there are, they are entirely my own. Iain Outlaw Mites and ticks Nineteen species recorded, almost all identified from the galls they produce 16/01/2020 Achipteria nitens Upper Hyde 16/01/2020 Tectocepheus velatus Upper Hyde 21/02/2020 White Snail Mite agg. (Riccardoella limacum agg.) Hungerberry Copse 29/04/2020 Elm Mite (Aceria campestricola) Shanklin Big Mead 29/04/2020 Nail Gall Mite (Eriophyes tiliae) Shanklin Big Mead 01/05/2020 Aceria cephalonea Yard Farm 17/05/2020 Field Maple Gall Mite (Aceria myriadeum) Causeway Lake 25/05/2020 Stenacis euonymi Bouldnor 01/06/2020 Eriophyes viburni St. Lawrence Shute 10/07/2020 Acalitus brevitarsus Black Pan 10/07/2020 Blackthorn Mite (Eriophyes similis) Black Pan 24/07/2020 Aceria iteina Shide-Blackwater Path 27/07/2020 Ash Flower Gall Mite (Aceria fraxinivora) Island View 17/08/2020 Walnut Leaf Gall Mite (Aceria erinea) Ventnor Botanic Garden 04/09/2020 Aceria tenella Shanklin Big Mead 10/09/2020 Aceria macrochela Bonchurch Landslip 25/09/2020 Aceria nalepai New Bridge Ponds 23/10/2020 Fuchsia Gall Mite (Aculops fuchsiae) Shanklin 08/12/2020 Eriophyes ilicis Shanklin Cemetery Anemones Five species recorded 29/01/2020 Beadlet Anemone (Actinia equina) Horse Ledge 06/02/2020 Strawberry Anemone (Actinia fragacea) Foreland 06/02/2020 Snakelocks Anemone (Anemonia viridis) Foreland 12/11/2020 Daisy Anemone (Cereus pedunculatus) Ryde Pier 12/11/2020 Sagartia troglodytes Ryde Pier Seaweeds Fifteen species were recorded 21/01/2020 Coral Weed (Corallina officinalis) Horse Ledge 21/01/2020 Toothed Wrack (Fucus serratus) Horse Ledge 21/01/2020 Wireweed (Sargassum muticum) Horse Ledge 27/01/2020 Egg wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) St. Helens Duver 27/01/2020 Bladder Wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) St. Helens Duver 27/01/2020 Sea Oak (Halidrys siliquosa) St. Helens Duver 29/01/2020 Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca) Horse Ledge 06/02/2020 Spongeweed (Codium tomentosum) Foreland 06/02/2020 Gutweed (Ulva intestinalis) Foreland 26/07/2020 Sea Cauliflower (Leathesia difformis) Horse Ledge 26/07/2020 False Irish Moss (Mastocarpus stellatus) Horse Ledge 26/07/2020 Peacock's Tail (Padina pavonica) Horse Ledge 23/08/2020 Oarweed (Laminaria digitata) Nodes Beach 12/11/2020 Pepper Dulse (Osmundea pinnatifida) Ryde Pier 19/11/2020 Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) Puckpool Point Amphibians Just two species from the garden pond 13/01/2020 Common Toad (Bufo bufo) Shanklin 13/01/2020 Palmated Newt (Lissotriton helveticus) Shanklin Spiders and harvestmen I haven’t spent much time looking for spiders in the past but this year recorded fifty-two species. They don’t appear to receive much attention and there are very few records in the IWNHAS database. I have yet to check the records held by LRC but from the distribution maps on the Spider Recording Scheme there are potentially three new county records 01/01/2020 Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis) Shanklin 06/01/2020 Neriene clathrata Haddon's Pits 08/01/2020 Long-bodied Cellar Spider (Pholcus phalangioides) Shanklin 08/01/2020 Meta menardi Shanklin 16/01/2020 Erigone atra Upper Hyde 19/01/2020 Missing Sector Orb Spider (Zygiella x-notata) Shanklin 20/01/2020 Amaurobius similis Shanklin 21/01/2020 Nigma puella Rylstone Gardens 24/01/2020 Paidiscura pallens Sibden Hill 24/01/2020 Lepthyphantes minutus Sibden Hill 25/01/2020 Clubiona comta Shanklin 26/01/2020 Buzzing Spider (Anyphaena accentuata) Shanklin 01/02/2020 Anelosimus vittatus Arreton 05/02/2020 Phylloneta sisyphia West High Down 16/02/2020 Amaurobius fenestralis Borthwood Copse East 18/02/2020 Invisible Spider (Drapetisca socialis) Greatwood Copse 18/02/2020 Metellina merianae Greatwood Copse 18/02/2020 Garden Orb Spider (Araneus diadematus) Greatwood Copse 18/02/2020 Nemastoma bimaculatum Greatwood Copse 24/02/2020 Walnut Orb-weaver (Nuctenea umbratica) Shanklin-Wroxall cycle path 24/02/2020 Platybunus triangularis Shanklin-Wroxall cycle path 28/02/2020 Black Lace-weaver (Amaurobius ferox) Shanklin 01/03/2020 Pardosa purbeckensis Clamerkin Creek 06/03/2020 Zilla diodia Parkhurst Forest 09/03/2020 Nursery-web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) Old Park 12/03/2020 Macrargus rufus Sibden Hill 16/03/2020 Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus) Shanklin 03/04/2020 White Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) Shanklin 06/04/2020 Eratigena atrica West Shanklin 18/04/2020 Cucumber Spider (Araniella cucurbitina) Shanklin 27/04/2020 Tetragnatha extensa New Bridge Ponds 27/04/2020 Dictyna arundinacea New Bridge Ponds 28/04/2020 Harpactea hombergi America Wood 28/04/2020 Metellina mengei America Wood 28/04/2020 Clubiona corticalis America Wood 04/05/2020 Common Woodlouse-spider (Dysdera crocata) Shanklin Manor 17/05/2020 Tibellus oblongus Newtown Meadows 20/05/2020 Philodromus dispar Sandpit Copse 28/05/2020 Mitopus morio Haseley Manor 05/06/2020 Garden Centre Spider (Uloborus plumipes) Thompson's Garden Centre 17/06/2020 Neoscona adianta Bembridge Down 21/07/2020 Episinus angulatus Firestone Copse South 24/07/2020 Dicranopalpus ramosus agg. Shanklin 26/07/2020 Leiobunum rotundum Shanklin 01/08/2020 Agelena labyrinthica Mottistone Down 05/08/2020 Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi) Newtown 20/08/2020 Larinioides cornutus Newtown NNR 04/09/2020 Gibbaranea gibbosa Shanklin Big Mead 10/10/2020 Linyphia hortensis Shanklin 21/10/2020 Diaea dorsata Westhill Road 22/10/2020 Neriene montana Shanklin 07/12/2020 Mitosloma chrysomelas Ventnor Botanic Garden Bristletails Four species recorded 15/02/2020 Dilta littoralis Rylstone Gardens 06/07/2020 Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) Haseley Manor 16/08/2020 Sea Bristletail (Petrobius maritimus) Watershoot Bay 07/12/2020 Atelura formicaria Ventnor Botanic Garden Independently discovered by Mark Telfer and Stephen Plummer within a few days of each other in 2016 as a new species for the UK, this has not yet been formally identified but is likely to be Atelura formicaria Birds Including feral and introduced species just 163 taxa recorded. Other than on 01 January, woefully little time was spent birding and very few were photographed 01/01/2020 Greylag Goose (Anser anser) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Dark-bellied Brent Goose (Branta bernicla bernicla) Western Yar Estuary 01/01/2020 Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) Western Yar Estuary 01/01/2020 Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) Newtown NNR 01/01/2020 Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) Rofford Marsh 01/01/2020 Gadwall (Mareca strepera) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Wigeon (Mareca penelope) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) Yarmouth Station 01/01/2020 Pintail (Anas acuta) Causeway Lake 01/01/2020 Common Teal (Anas crecca) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) Ryde Canoe Lake 01/01/2020 Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) Seaview 01/01/2020 Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) Seaview 01/01/2020 Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) Western Yar Estuary 01/01/2020 Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) Newtown NNR 01/01/2020 Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) Newtown NNR 01/01/2020 Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) Seaview 01/01/2020 Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Great Egret (Ardea alba) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) Causeway Lake 01/01/2020 Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus) Yarmouth Station 01/01/2020 Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Coot (Fulica atra) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) Western Yar Estuary 01/01/2020 Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) Western Yar Estuary 01/01/2020 Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria) Newtown NNR 01/01/2020 Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) Brading Marsh RSPB 01/01/2020 Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) Newtown NNR 01/01/2020 Curlew (Numenius arquata) Western Yar Estuary 01/01/2020 Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) Western Yar Estuary 01/01/2020 Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) Newtown NNR 01/01/2020 Sanderling (Calidris alba) Ryde East Sands 01/01/2020 Dunlin (Calidris alpina)