Blaxton Common
Visit by YNU Entomological Section on 8/7/2000
Coleoptera – species observed / cpollected / records collated by R. J. Marsh
A dead crow at SE 676016 yielded the following species. All are common and to be often found in a wide range of putrefying material, although the more local Omosita discoidea is a carrion specialist.
Cercyon atomarius
Anotylus tetracarinatus
Atheta crassicornis
Atheta Nigra
Atheta aterrima
Atheta celata
Omosita discoidea
The following beetles were beaten from a line of trees and shrubs along the access road at approx.. SE677017. All are fairly common and widespread, being found on a wide variety of tree and shrub foliage, although the longhorn Rutpela maculata is a little more localized by virtue of its habitat – it develops in dead wood.
Malthinus frontalis
Thea 22-punctata
Propylea 14-punctata
Coccinella 7-punctata
Adalia bipunctata
Rutpela maculata
Grammoptera ruficornis
Phyllobius oblongus
Phyllobius argentatus
Phyllobius maculicornis
In an area of Cirsium, Senecio, willows, birches, etc. around the area of the concrete pad at the end of the access road at approx. SE683019, were swept the following species. Again, all are generally common and widespread, except, perhaps, the more local Apion simile, exclusively a birch specialist. The beetle Phratora vulgatissima has been the subject of some recent research in the horticultural world as some are of the opinion that the species could become a pest of commercially grown willow for fueling power plants.
Bembidion lampros
Rhagonycha fulva
Meligethes aeneus
Meligethes atratus
Coccinella 7-punctata
Adalia bipunctata
Cassida rubiginosa
Chalcoides fulvicornis
Phratora vulgatissima
Altica oleracea
Cidnorhinus quadrimaculatus
Ceutorhynchus assimilis
Dorytomus dejeani
Phyllobius maculicornis
Apion viciae
Apion simile
From an oak at approx. SE684019, the following species were beaten from the foliage.
Rhagonycha fulva
Epuraea aestiva
Adalia decempunctata
Lagria hirta
Clytus arietis
Aphthona euphorbiae
Altica oleracea
Sphaerodetma testaceum
Otiorhynchus sulcatus
Rhynchaenus avellanae
Rhynchaenus quercus
In a pile of old straw and rotting turnips at approx. SE684019, the following species were found by sieving. All are carnivorous predators on smaller arthropods or feeders on detritus or fungal hypha :-
Pterostichus strenuus
Megasternum obscurum
Acrotrichis cognata
Acrotrichis fascicularis
Acrotrichis grandicollis
Acrotrichis montandoni
Ptiliolum fuscum
Quedius mesomelinus
Quedius molochinus
Rugilus orbiculatus
Leptacinus pusillus
Tachyporus hypnorum
Tachyporus dispar
Tachyporus obtusus
Habrocerus capillaricornis
Atheta amicula
Atheta coriaria
Atheta crassicornis
Atheta trinotata
Trichiusa immigrata – a very recent colonist to British Isles and spreading fast.
Oxypoda haemorrhoa
Euplectus sanguineus
Calyptomerus dubius
Agriotes obscurus
Carpophilus marginellus
Glischrochilus hortensis
Cryptophagus acutangulus
Cryptophagus pilosus
Around the edge of a large water-filled sandpit at approx. SE688021, the following species were found. All are generally common and widespread, although some, such as Broscus cephalotes and Amara tibialis, are more restricted to sandy ground. The species marked with * particularly favour damp muddy margins of water bodies, whilst the Laccobius and Hygrotus are strictly water beetles.
Broscus cephalotes – this large, ravenous predatory ground beetle, once considered to be exclusively coastal, is now to be found at a few inland sites in Yorkshire.
Elaphrus cupreus *
Harpalus affinis
Bembidion genei *
Bembidion tetracolum *
Amara tibialis
Amara aenea
Notiophilus biguttatus
Notiophilus aquaticus
Hygrotus inaequalis
Laccobius minutus
Helophorus brevipalpis
Helophorus minutus
Anacaena limbate *
Philonthus addendus
Stenus biguttatus *
Staphylinus ater
Lathrobium brunnipes
Lathrobium multipunctum – a few recent records for this very local species – Roger Key found it at the same site in 1988.
Atheta crassicornis
Atheta nigra
Aleochara bipustulata / verna (?) – requires confirmation in view of recent species splitting
Heterocerus fenestratus *
Adalia bipunctata
Olibrus aeneus
Oedemera lurida – until the last few years, absent in Yorkshire, but a spate of records from the south of the county – “global warming?”
Aphthona euphorbiae
Apion dissimile / varipes (?) – a difficult species pair. The specimens collected here await determination, but if confirmed. Eith species should be new to the county. The foodplant is Trifolium arvensis, which was in quantity at the site.
Cionus scrophulariae * – on a figwort species