Beetles, birds and a bug

 A few new beetles. A few new birds. Surprising result in a tussock yesterday was Fife's 2nd Blue Shieldbug.

Count	Family	Species	Location
1	Carabidae	Agonum fuliginosum	Cullaloe LNR
2	Carabidae	Agonum thoreyi	Cullaloe LNR
3	Carabidae	Amara plebeja	Cullaloe LNR
4	Carabidae	Bembidion guttula	Dalgety Bay
5	Carabidae	Bembidion mannerheimii	Cullaloe Hills
6	Carabidae	Cychrus caraboides	Loch Fitty
7	Carabidae	Paradromius linearis	Moss Morran
8	Carabidae	Pterostichus nigrita	Cullaloe LNR
9	Carabidae	Pterostichus strenuus	Dalgety Bay
10	Carabidae	Trichocellus placidus	Dalgety Bay
11	Chrysomelidae	Crepidodera fulvicornis	Cullaloe LNR
12	Chrysomelidae	Oulema melanopus s.l.	Moss Morran
13	Chrysomelidae	Phaedon tumidulus	Loch Fitty
14	Erotylidae	Triplax aenea	Cullaloe LNR
15	Silphidae	Silpha atrata	Dalgety Bay
16	Staphylinidae	Anotylus rugosus	Dalgety Bay
17	Staphylinidae	Lathrobium brunnipes	Cullaloe LNR
18	Staphylinidae	Philonthus decorus	Moss Morran
19	Staphylinidae	Quedius fuliginosus	Cullaloe LNR
20	Staphylinidae	Stenus juno	Cullaloe LNR
21	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus dispar	Cullaloe LNR
22	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus hypnorum	Cullaloe LNR
---	---	---	---
24	Carabidae	Bembidion saxatile	Dalgety Bay
25	Chrysomelidae	Phyllotreta nigripes	Cullaloe LNR
26	Coccinelidae	Coccidula rufa	Cullaloe LNR
27	Dryopidae	Dryops ernesti	Cullaloe LNR
28	Staphylinidae	Sepedophilus nigripennis	Cullaloe LNR
29	Staphylinidae	Sitona lineatus	Cullaloe LNR
30	Staphylinidae	Stenus bifoveolatus	Cullaloe LNR
31	Staphylinidae	Stenus clavicornis	Moss Morran
32	Staphylinidae	Stenus picipes	Cullaloe Hills
33	Staphylinidae	Tachinus rufipes	Dalgety Bay
34	Staphylinidae	Xantholinus longiventris	Moss Morran
35	Apionidae	Exapion ulicis	Cullaloe LNR

(below the line beetles not found in Jan '21)

Bird latest totals: 13th January

Dalgety Bay birds 2023: 61 spp. (GSW)

Inverkeithing birds 2023: 41 spp.

Beetles - the first 30

Agonum thoreyii and Coccidula rufa picked up at Cullaloe, where they are pretty certain. Hopefully one or two others in the mix but not as varied as hoped. Maybe the perpetual wetness of the grass makes it harder to get out some specimens. 

Count	Family	Species		Location
1	Carabidae	Agonum fuliginosum		Cullaloe LNR
2	Carabidae	Agonum muelleri		Cullaloe LNR
3	Carabidae	Agonum thoreyi		Cullaloe LNR
4	Carabidae	Amara plebeja		Cullaloe LNR
5	Carabidae	Bembidion guttula		Dalgety Bay
6	Carabidae	Bembidion mannerheimii		Cullaloe Hills
7	Carabidae	Bembidion saxatile		Dalgety Bay
8	Carabidae	Paradromius linearis		Moss Morran
9	Carabidae	Pterostichus nigrita		Cullaloe LNR
10	Carabidae	Pterostichus strenuus		Dalgety Bay
11	Carabidae	Trichocellus placidus		Dalgety Bay
12	Chrysomelidae	Oulema melanopus s.l.		Moss Morran
13	Chrysomelidae	Phyllotreta nigripes		Cullaloe LNR
14	Coccinelidae	Coccidula rufa		Cullaloe LNR
15	Dryopidae	Dryops ernesti		Cullaloe LNR
16	Erotylidae	Triplax aenea		Cullaloe LNR
17	Silphidae	Silpha atrata		Dalgety Bay
18	Staphylinidae	Anotylus rugosus		Dalgety Bay
19	Staphylinidae	Lathrobium brunnipes		Cullaloe LNR
20	Staphylinidae	Philonthus decorus		Moss Morran
21	Staphylinidae	Quedius fuliginosus		Cullaloe LNR
22	Staphylinidae	Sepedophilus nigripennis		Cullaloe LNR
23	Staphylinidae	Sitona lineatus		Cullaloe LNR
24	Staphylinidae	Stenus clavicornis		Moss Morran
25	Staphylinidae	Stenus juno		Cullaloe LNR
26	Staphylinidae	Stenus picipes		Cullaloe Hills
27	Staphylinidae	Tachinus rufipes		Dalgety Bay
28	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus dispar		Cullaloe LNR
29	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus hypnorum		Cullaloe LNR
30	Staphylinidae	Xantholinus longiventris		Moss Morran

January beetles 'n' birds

Beetles - a few added from Moss Morran plus "leftovers" from other sites. In '21 I had recorded 30 spp. by the 10th of January,  If anything I'm marginally behind (but there are 24 hours to go!). Obviously that means I only recorded 20 spp. in the latter 20 days of January '21, which I can surely better. Thus far only tussocking and light rock/log turning. Too wet/frozen for leaf litter. Nothing strand line/littoral. No pond dipping.

Paradromius linearis, as common as they come.

Count	Family	Species		Location
1	Carabidae	Agonum fuliginosum		Cullaloe LNR
2	Carabidae	Agonum muelleri		Cullaloe LNR
3	Carabidae	Amara plebeja		Cullaloe LNR
4	Carabidae	Bembidion guttula		Dalgety Bay
5	Carabidae	Bembidion mannerheimii		Cullaloe Hills
6	Carabidae	Bembidion saxatile		Dalgety Bay
7	Carabidae	Paradromius linearis		Moss Morran
8	Carabidae	Pterostichus nigrita		Cullaloe LNR
9	Carabidae	Pterostichus strenuus		Dalgety Bay
10	Carabidae	Trichocellus placidus		Dalgety Bay
11	Chrysomelidae	Oulema melanopus s.l.		Moss Morran
12	Chrysomelidae	Phyllotreta nigripes		Cullaloe LNR
13	Dryopidae	Dryops ernesti		Cullaloe LNR
14	Erotylidae	Triplax aenea		Cullaloe LNR
15	Silphidae	Silpha atrata		Dalgety Bay
16	Staphylinidae	Anotylus rugosus		Dalgety Bay
17	Staphylinidae	Lathrobium brunnipes		Cullaloe LNR
18	Staphylinidae	Philonthus decorus		Moss Morran
19	Staphylinidae	Quedius fuliginosus		Cullaloe LNR
20	Staphylinidae	Sepedophilus nigripennis		Cullaloe LNR
21	Staphylinidae	Sitona lineatus		Cullaloe LNR
22	Staphylinidae	Stenus clavicornis		Moss Morran
23	Staphylinidae	Stenus juno		Cullaloe LNR
24	Staphylinidae	Stenus picipes		Cullaloe Hills
25	Staphylinidae	Tachinus rufipes		Dalgety Bay
26	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus dispar		Cullaloe LNR
27	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus hypnorum		Cullaloe LNR
28	Staphylinidae	Xantholinus longiventris		Moss Morran

Bird latest totals: 9th January

Dalgety Bay birds 2023: 60 spp. (Grey Wag, Turnstone)

Inverkeithing birds 2023: 36 spp.

20 Beetles

A decent start without wandering too far or getting too exotic. Nothing brand new but some I didn't encounter in Jan '21.

Count	Family	Species		Location
1	Carabidae	Agonum fuliginosum		Cullaloe LNR
2	Carabidae	Agonum muelleri		Cullaloe LNR
3	Carabidae	Amara plebeja		Cullaloe LNR
4	Carabidae	Bembidion guttula		Dalgety Bay
5	Carabidae	Bembidion saxatile		Dalgety Bay
6	Carabidae	Pterostichus nigrita		Cullaloe LNR
7	Carabidae	Pterostichus strenuus		Dalgety Bay
8	Carabidae	Trichocellus placidus		Dalgety Bay
9	Chrysomelidae	Phyllotreta nigripes		Cullaloe LNR
10	Dryopidae	Dryops ernesti		Cullaloe LNR
11	Erotylidae	Triplax aenea		Cullaloe LNR
12	Silphidae	Silpha atrata		Dalgety Bay
13	Staphylinidae	Anotylus rugosus		Dalgety Bay
14	Staphylinidae	Lathrobium brunnipes		Cullaloe LNR
15	Staphylinidae	Quedius fuliginosus		Cullaloe LNR
16	Staphylinidae	Sepedophilus nigripennis		Cullaloe LNR
17	Staphylinidae	Stenus juno		Cullaloe LNR
18	Staphylinidae	Tachinus rufipes		Dalgety Bay
19	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus dispar		Cullaloe LNR
20	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus hypnorum		Cullaloe LNR

Beetles, birds update

A second session of beetling briefly in the rain at Cullaloe has added about ten species (two or three to still do), including two new species for Cullaloe. That's not a bad result. Both are species I know from other sites. Sadly my phone seems to lose colour so that Agonum muelleri's lovely bronze and green barely show at all in the photo, despite being clear even to the naked eye.

Dryops ernesti

Agonum muelleri

Despite the consistently rainy/frosty weather that's a start that would probably get me where I want to be. Beetles on the list so far:

Count	Family	Species		Location
1	Carabidae	Agonum muelleri		Cullaloe LNR
2	Carabidae	Amara plebeja		Cullaloe LNR
3	Carabidae	Bembidion guttula		Dalgety Bay
4	Carabidae	Pterostichus nigrita		Cullaloe LNR
5	Carabidae	Pterostichus strenuus		Dalgety Bay
6	Carabidae	Trichocellus placidus		Dalgety Bay
7	Chrysomelidae	Phyllotreta nigripes		Cullaloe LNR
8	Dryopidae	Dryops ernesti		Cullaloe LNR
9	Erotylidae	Triplax aenea		Cullaloe LNR
10	Silphidae	Silpha atrata		Dalgety Bay
11	Staphylinidae	Anotylus rugosus		Dalgety Bay
12	Staphylinidae	Lathrobium brunnipes		Cullaloe LNR
13	Staphylinidae	Quedius fuliginosus		Cullaloe LNR
14	Staphylinidae	Sepedophilus nigripennis		Cullaloe LNR
15	Staphylinidae	Stenus juno		Cullaloe LNR
16	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus dispar		Cullaloe LNR
17	Staphylinidae	Tachyporus hypnorum		Cullaloe LNR

Also a walk around Dalgety Bay on the 2nd returned a handsome 51 species. Usually on a walk I'd count over 40 as a good result. Nice to see some partridges, with or without a pear tree, and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits.

5th January

Dalgety Bay birds 2023: 58 spp.

Inverkeithing birds 2023: 31 spp.

Beetle Game

In January 2021 I recorded 50 species of beetle...

Altica olerace ..... uhhhh. No. Altica palustris at Cullaloe LNR

From a grass pile sieved at lunchtime, and for the first time in the history of the world, I sieved a MALE Altica (Flea beetle, a specialist leaf beetle in the Chrysomelidae).

It would be easy, at last, to see then that this was Altica olerace ..... uhhhh. Not oleracea, then.

It seems to be A.palustris, though since NBN is playing up I'll have to be happy that it's as widespread as the book suggests. This makes it probably the most likely to encounter in Fife (along with oleracea, which this isn't).

This is a cracking site for comparing Altica boy bits: here

And presumably so much more, though I've just found it and haven't explored it yet.

Habitus - distinct humeri ("shoulders")

Bits

Bembidion mannerheimii

 Bembidion mannerheimii is very close to Bembidion guttula. Closer, in fact, than traditional keys suggest, with recent publication indicating whether a specimen is winged or not is not 100% surefire way to separate the two - including in the same locations. This, from yesterday, I am taking to be mannerheimii until I can find the relevant article. It has two things which are separating it from B.guttula.

A new one for Cullaloe, but not for me.

Lacking two subterminal spots on elytrae

Wingless

On finding the Coleopterist article it seems that short-winged guttula nevertheless does still have more wing. I'm still happy with this as mannerheimii

Wild Weekend in the Cullaloe Hills

So I was intending to be at the BLS AGM this weekdn but for one reason or another that didn't happen. However I didn't waste the weekend, with an hour or two to play out on Saturday I went looking for this to add to the county list ...

Phaeoceros laevis

new-to-county hornwort

I had found hornworts in this field but had no luck cementing their ID - this ought to do it I think. Arable fields are a great place to find a range of bryophytes and I spent a good hour picking up this, Fossombronia pusilla, Bryum rubens, and some others before wandering along the side of a piece of marshy ground, where I found this ...

Pseudocyphellarium norvegicum (not...)

This is not only a new lichen to Fife but also new to the eastern half of Britain. If accepted it will definitely look like a mistake on any atlas from now on! (Edit: this is actually the closely-related Sticta limbata, the only previous record of which is from 1824!)

Yesterday I did a bit of tussocking (Juncus effusus, Deschampsia) and came up with this ...

Hydrothassa marginella

new-to-county leaf beetle

This new pet square is definitely delivering the goods. Looking forward to when it really kicks off