The Lyons Share

6000 species in 2026: Week 1 summary

Posted by Graeme Lyons , Thursday, 8 January 2026 12:52

At the end of week 1, I reached 564 species (I am actually on 565 as of today as I saw some Large White pupae on my friends wall this morning). I ended week 1 with a much needed day out at Iping and Stedham Commons and added nearly 120 species, over a quarter of which were spiders. I had a Zora silvestris on Stedham Common (it is well-known from Iping Common but this might be first time I have seen this Critically Endangered and Nationally Rare spider this side of the road), and a whole load of scarce spiders even though much of the ground was still frozen. Persistence pays off!

Here's a list of the nice spiders I had yesterday and their statuses.

Zora silvestris - CR & NR

Lathys heterophthalma- Vulnerable & Nationally Rare

This is easy to find by suction on the shorter, managed areas of open heath at Iping. Seems to like very dry areas here, and can be found in numbers even on a freezing cold day in Jan!

Here's the real exciting one!

Centromerus brevipalpus - Endangered & Nationally Rare

This is the first record for Iping Common since 1969! And it means on the SRS page I will be turning the black cross back to a black dot. This spider has more locations in West Sussex than anywhere else, so I was pleased to sieve a tiny female from moss under trees at Stedham. I have only seen this spider twice before, so I have three records from three West Sussex hectads now. It's also a winter active species, so is exactly the kind of thing I need to be targeting at the moment.

Also

Hypsosinga sanguinea - NS

Hypsosinga albovittata - NS (ticked it on the 1st at Malling)

Kochiura aulica - NS

Scotina celans - NS

Scotina gracilipes - NS

Episinus truncatus - NS

Monocephalus castaneipes - NS & S.41

Agyneta mollis - (NR, NT & S.41) lol. I have had this spider every day I have been out with the sucker this year, it's a 1st January kinda species and shouldn't even be Nationally Scarce!

Not scarce but Aphileta misera is not an easy spider to find in Sussex and I recorded the first Tallusia experta at Iping 1968! I forgot just how awesome sieving moss for spiders is in winter, this is really bringing back fond memories of those three years of spider year-listing (although Sphagnum in the open was frozen solid yesterday). I've seen 74 spiders so far this year.

But you do find loads of other stuff when looking for spiders in winter. Obviously all the heathland plants were new yesterday, as were Lapwing, Mallard, Coot and Grey Heron as I drove to site, as well as Crossbills, Dartford Warbler, Linnet and Stonechat on site! 

I beat some nice things off pine, including oddly a Juniper Shieldbug, which was new to the site.

Everyone's favourite wafer-thin ground bug Gastrodes grossipes.

And a gorgeous Striped Ladybird. I even saw a queen Bombus terrestris yesterday on Gorse!

My number one target on the website (the species that most other pan-species year listers have seen, that I have not) is currently Mute Swan (with my first non-bird target being Roe Deer). 

Karen and I started the year with a bang on the 1st Jan at Malling Down. You have to work a little harder when it is this cold but there was still plenty to see. Like Round-headed Rampion if you know what the leaves look like.

I have seen 218 species of invertebrate species in the first week of one of the coldest weeks of the decade, so I am pretty pleased with that. Being used to doing lots of winter work for spider really helps here. I have still not been rock-pooling, waiting for some low tides in day light. The great thing with this game is there is always something else to do, so my game plan is to not go out when conditions are not really good.

So here's my overall progress so far

I am fund raising for this for the management of Sussex Wildlife Trust's nature reserves, so please do consider donating on my JustGiving page.

And if you want to learn more about the pan-species listing approach to natural history, please have a look at my book here which is out very soon.

Now, will I find anything new for the year on my way to Hove Town Hall?...

Posted in 6000speciesin2026, beetles, bugs, Iping Common, molluscs, my first book, pan-species listing, plants, spiders