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Tillus all about it
Posted by Graeme Lyons , Saturday 21 May 2011 06:54
Saw quite a few of these nationally scarce saproxylics during a quick visit to Cowdray on my way past yesterday. It's a female Tillus elongatus. I only saw females and I am pretty sure this one was ovipositing. It was in a recently fallen Beech that was full of fungus. I also found an elytron that is an incredible metallic blue/purple, I think it is likely to be an Ischnomera so I doubt I can get it to species. No hint of green in there though like I have seen before in this genus, perhaps that pigment fades with age as it often does in moths? This micro moth was new to me, pretty sure it's Cydia fagiglandana, which feeds in Beech nuts. Very well camouflaged against the bark.
The farm survey yesterday had such typical farmland birds as Mediterranean Gull (the commonest gull), Reed Warbler (singing from a rape field) and Crossbill (four flying over). I am about to start a weekend course called 'Bird Survey Techniques', first time I have run this one so I hope it all goes to plan. Might try and get up to Southerham this afternoon and look for forester moths.
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I was poking around on some bare chalk on an open grassland site today, didn't find any bare-ground specialist insects but was surprised to find Tillus elongatus running over the chalk (might not have recognised it if I hadn't read your blog yesterday!). Very odd habitat for it but there is a lot of dead wood on the hill above this site so presumably it had dispersed from there. Have had it once in my garden as well, so they do seem to get around a bit.