I know right! "WTF is that?!", I hear you say. Well, I literally put that image at the start to suck you in. You'll have to wait until the end to find out what this grubby fluffkin is.
This is my second post on the trip to Jersey and this one is just about the spiders. I'll do a third one on all the other inverts soon. I believe I recorded some13 spiders new to Jersey, of which six were new to the Channel Islands (one of these was actually in 2017 but I only found out about that last night).
First up, the first time I got my little tray out, produced Heliophanus tribulatus - a spider that turned out to be widespread on the island (and is known from Jersey). This was a lifer for me and a great start. The females are very orange-legged (not yellow) and most of the spider is covered in golden hairs (a jersey-wearing jumper on Jersey). It has just two spots on the abdomen that often merge to form a band (and another further back). I bet it will be in the UK soon. I don't think I ever found it by suction, beaten from Pellitory-of-the-wall on old sunny walls and sometimes from Gorse.
And the male, quite like Heliophanus kochii in terms of the white-spotted legs and palps but lacking the four spots on the abdomen and the dark tip (where the hairs are absent). The palp is bonkers. This shouldn't be too difficult to spot if it turns up here, unless it already has and I am behind the times. The specimen in the tray at the bottom has some white on the abdomen but it is situated further back.
A short trip around the coastal cliffs near where we stayed and in among the dozens of Macaroeris nidicolens that are on nearly every tree and wall and I spotted something different. Dendryphantes rudis, another jumping spider lifer! This an immature. Very distinct pattern on the abdomen.
And here an adult male with much less of a distinct pattern. Very leggy this one.
And the only other spider lifer I had out there (bringing my British Isles spider list up to 547 species) was Zelotes longipes (this species is listed as Nationally Rare in the UK, where it has not been recorded since 2015). I found a male and a female in Les Blanches Banques. I should add that I had to get a permit from the government to take a small number of specimens from their SSIs there.
I saw one Attulus saltator there too, always a pleasure to see this dweeb. Anyone else think they look like Ralph Wiggum? No? Just me then. I also saw a pair of Myrmarachne formicaria in the dunes (so much cool stuff to see that I didn't even get a photo of them).
And here is a Macaroeris nidicolens. They are incredibly abundant there in all sorts of habitats. I remember ticking this spider there in 2017 on Jersey, it was in the dunes at Ouaisne.
So what were the 13 species I hear you say? Well, here's the list of the six that were new to the Channel Islands (as far as I can tell). Big shocker here with the first one!
Macaroeris nidicolens! - not kidding when I say it's on every Gorse bush.
Anyphaenea numida - from just north of Mont Orgueil Castle. This thing is spreading and fast!
Lasaeola prona - from the cliff tops at Gorselands.
Scotina gracilipes - this adult female from Portelet Common.
Acartauchenius scurrilus - an adult male, also vacced from coastal grassland at Portelet.
Agroeca cuprea - from several areas in the dunes around Les Blanches Banques!
Spiders I seemingly had new to Jersey were...
Ero aphana
Episinus truncatus
Enoplognatha mandibularis
Metopobractus prominulus
Gnathonarium dentatum (?!)
Phaeocedus braccatus (at Gorselands on the cliffs)
Xysticus sabulosus (common at Les Blanches Banques)
Most of these are likely to be unrecorded residents that have been here for a very long time while some (like Anyphaenea numida) are likely very recent arrivals. Jersey is great for so many species groups and the relative lack of spider recording that has happened here means there is plenty to still be found.
I had a great evening at Gorselands meeting up with Tim Ransom (thanks to Karen for the photos).
There were LOADS of Gnaphosa there (and later, also at Portelet). All sub-adults. I am going to try and rear some but I have had to send some to Ty too as I am not good at rearing spiders. Fingers crossed though.
The other spider that is common there but not in the UK, is Gibbaranea bituberculata. Here are a few of them. I saw just one back in 2017.
And Porrhoclubiona genevensis is all over the shop. Yes, in cliff grassland like in Cornwall but I also had them in dunes and in Reed litter!
Finally, I have saved my favorite until last. Anyone remember me find this at Portelet in 2017? The insane looking Heriaeus mellotteei.
I really wanted to find it again but instead, I picked up what must be its spiderlings in the vac and boy, are they crazy little abominable snow-spiders! If there ever was a spider that looks like it's wearing a jersey, it's this!
I have not identified everything yet though but I don't think there will be any more surprises. Now I need to get back to the book...
The sun came out on Jersey today and so did the bugs! What an epic day we had and I really had a chance to get my new camera to work. We spent most of the day in the huge Le Blanches Banques Dunes to the south west of the island. The island seems to be really good for bugs, first up with have an island speciality being Broad-shouldered Shieldbug. We only saw one of these all day.
I reckon this is the nymph of Dicronocephalus agilis but it's what this nymph led me too that was a real surprise.
As I was trying to keep pace with this bug. it crawled right by a tiny plant. A plant I searched for many times on the cliffs at Beachy Head. The incredibly rare Small Hare's-ear!
Back to the bugs and another island speciality, White-shouldered Shieldbug. Again we saw only one of these.
And this is incredibly rare in the UK being known from one site in Cornwall. It;s the Cornish Shieldbug.
Another species not recorded from Sussex is the Sand-runner Shieldbug. And odd little thing, we only saw one of them.
Here is a mirid, common on the island but rare in the UK. Capsodes sulcatus.
And I've seen this one a few times, it's only at Rye Harbour in Sussex but it's always nice to see. Lesser Streaked Shieldbug.
Plants were good such as this Small Melilot. It's not always easy to tell what's native or not on the island but I expect not with this one being along a road.
And the invasive succulent Purple Dewplant which is a real problem on the coasts.
And I think these two are Sticky Storksbill and Musk Storksbill respectively. Come to think of it I didn't see much Common.
Back to the inverts. I had three new bees so far but this was the only one I photographed. Silvery Leaf-cutter Megachile leachella.
We caught several flies, one very exciting one that I managed to let go.However, I was pleased to find a couple of these beauties. The Dark-cloaked Bee-fly.
We reckon this must be the nymph of Blue-winged Grasshopper!
A little further north and I we heard lots of Field Crickets. I was also able to redeem myself somewhat with Chris and show him a huge male.
And finally the beetles. I believe this is Chrysolina haemoptera.
But this was my favourite species and my favourite photo. This was a surprise, as it took me several years to figure out this is just a very different-looking sub-species of Timarcha goettingensis. I suggest the English name Rugged Bloody-nose Beetle! This is the photo-stacking feature working at its best.
Oh yeah, we had European Green Lizard too but it was too fast for a photo! Wow, so much to see here. Loads yet to identify from too, I've taken so many photos. The bets thing about all this is that we decided to allow the Channel Islands in PSL. So coming here just adds to the feeling that you are in the Med whilst being in the UK at the same time. I LOVE Jersey and its natural history. So today we are going to some commons followed by rock-pooling at a VERY low tide. Watch this space!
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