The Lyons Share

I went to Ebernoe today to look for deadwood inverts. I had my mind on the large and the exotic and although I did get a glimpse of a Hornet Beetle, the weather was pretty poor and there was little on the wing. This ugly little Toad was the biggest thing I found under a log today!

I did alright with the little things today though. I found a few beetles that are new to the site, some still to be identified. I think this incredibly flat beetle with huge long antennae for such a small beetle is Uleiota planata. I'm waiting for confirmation but it looks good for it. It's Na and a Grade 2 Indicator of Ecological Continuity. I found two of them under sappy Beech bark on a limb that came down last winter. Strangely, each specimen had only one antenna each. UPDATE: Apparently this species has undergone a recent range expansion and may no longer warrant the nationally scarce status.

Whilst looking for Hornet Beetles in the glades I found this brightly coloured scolytid which looks like Trypodendron signatum. It has a purplish pronotum with yellow and brown striped elytra. It is Nb and new for the site too. I also found a small false click beetle on a dead Beech tree that is either Microrhagus pygmaeus or the rarer Hylis olexai. As this last species is not in Joy, I need some help with clinching the ID! Watch this space. I also saw Bitoma crenata and Platypus cylindrus.

On the fly front I saw Xlylota sylvarum (another deadwood hoverfly), Volucella inanis, lots of the robber fly Machimus atricapillus (photo) and a Dioctria sp. A surprise was a fledgling Spotted Flycatcher being fed by a parent in the glades.