2020 Highlights

 Only a few short days left until 2021 so it's the annual time to cast an eye over the previous year and pick out the highlights. In no particular order...

Tachina grossa - an enormous tachinid fly (think bumble bee) which I have wanted to see for years. Chanced upon it completely unexpectedly on a walk along the Tay coast to Tentsmuir. Happy days!

Tachina grossa

A dual award goes to spider hunting wasps. I have seen them occasionally but never before managed to secure and identify one. This year I had two at the same place (Pettycur Bay) on the same day. A great location sure to be revisited in 2021.

Ceropales maculata

Anoplius concinnus

Continuing the Hymenoptera theme, and another "dual award", there were two first-for-Fife bees that made an appearance. One of them I managed to do myself and the other had some assistance to get it over the line (thanks, Brian!). The Lasioglossum was a very late show in October between Aberdour and Burntisland. Coastal mortared walls, hopefully, will reveal more next year.

Andrena similis - Cullaloe Hills, Blaeberry

Lasioglossum smeathmanellum

Diverting from inverts for a second, there were two significant fungal finds of the year (not counting the probably-new-to-Britain Laboulbeniomycete I failed to curate properly and thus lost - doh!). The first was Entoloma pallida, 2nd record for Britain and first in Scotland. This is a tiny thing and a big surprise when it turned out a pink spore print. It's gone to live in the Botanic Gardens.

Entoloma pallida

The second of the fungal scores was the lichen Sticta limbata, found in the Cullaloe Hills during lockdown (the early one!). This is the first species of the Lobarion to be found in Fife for 100 years. It was previously mentioned in the Flora Edenensis, but nobody had seen it since. A further search for more Lobarion species was crushed by our inability to gather socially - but it's still on the "to do" list.

Sticta limbata

So back to inverts. I have done hopelessly on longhorn beetles, so it was great to find the nationally scarce (rare? can't remember now) Judolia sexmaculata on a walk in Blairadam. 

Judolia sexmaculata

I feel obliged to mention the 1st Scottish, 2nd British, Hydrophoria diabata, even though, as you can see from the picture, this isn't what you would call a stunner. Any anthomyiid ID is a win, and this was a pleasing result.

Hydrophoria diabata

Last, and certainly not least, was this Snow Flea that I shook from some moss while looking for beetles. I still can't quite believe this one as it was so unexpected. Actually since there's snow on the ground right now, who knows - maybe another one today before sundown...

Snow Flea

Snow Flea

Also during 2020 was my first look at Lunar Hornet Moth (thanks to Nigel luring them in at Cullaloe LNR), but I can't currently find any pictures, which is a bit weird. Hopefully I can find some and add here