Shropshire Invertebrate Group May 2015

The Shropshire Invertebrate Group spent a slighty chilly spring day yesterday on Bettisfield Moss. As a new member of the group, and someone with a burgeoning interest in entomology, it was like being a kid in a sweet shop. I spent several hours in county experts looking at a variety of (mainly) insects. I saw a hug number of new species, far too many to mention here. These are some of the highlights.

The Black-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa coccinea was a nice find. I am familiar wth the Red-headed congeners, but this was a new species for me.

Pyrochroa coccinea

One of our two large violet ground beetle species, this Carabus problematicus was a nice find. The shape of the pronotum and the combination of ridges and dimples on the elytra help to identify it.

Carabus problematicus

Clouded Border is a moth that manages to completely avoid my trap, and as such I have only seen it a couple of times. It was therefore nice to find it in the daytime.

Clouded Border

Birch Leaf-roller Weevils Deporaus betulae where plentiful. Sweep netting any birch came up with several indivudals, and we found evidence of where the females were dutting and rolling leaves. The swollen rear femur of the male is a distinctive character.

Deporaus betulae

A new moth for me was Pleurota bicostella. WIth just the book I would have struggled to identify it, but having the county moth recorder present helped!

Pleurota bicostella

This Micropterix aureatella was an easier identification. We found several of these, and I like this picture of one resting on my hand lens.

Micropterix aureatella