Provisional atlas of the lacewings and allied insects

212 Pages·2008·3.74 MB·English

JOINT(t
Institute of
NATURE s!rol?
CONSERVATION Terrestrial
COMMITTEE 11/ Ecology
Provisional atlas of the
lacewings and allied insects
(Neuroptera, Megaloptera,
Raphidioptera and Mecoptera)
of Britain and Ireland
Colin W Plani
Natural Environment Research Council
Pnnted in Great Britain by Dixon Printing Co Ltd
NERC Copynght 1994
Published in 1994 by
Biological Records Centre
Insttute of Terrestnal Ecology
Monks Wood
Abbots Ripon
Huntingdon
Combs PEI7 2LS
ISBN 1870393 18 X
The Instdtute of Terrestnal Ecology (1TE) is a component research organisanon within the Natural
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Directorate, and was established in 1973 by the merger of the research stations of the Nature
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ever since. The six research stations of the Institute provide a ready access ro sites and to
environmental and ecological problems in any part of Britain In addition to the broad
environmental knowledge and experience expected of the modern ecologist, each station has a
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opportunities for long-term, multidisciplinary studies of complex environmental and ecological
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ITE undertakes specialist ecological research on subjects rangmg from irrocro-grganisms to trees
and mammals, from coastal habitats to uplands from derelict land to au- pollunon Understanding
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The Institute's research is financed by the UK Government 6-dough the science budget and by
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Biological Records Centre Mr C W Plant
Inismote of Terrestrial Ecology Newharn Museum Service
Monks Wood The Visitor Centre
Abbots Ripton East Ham Nature Reserve
HUNTINGDON Norman Road. East Ham
CaMES PEI7 2LS LONDON E6 4E24
04873 (Abbots Flipton) 381 081 470 4525
INSTITUTEO F TERRESTRIAELCOLOGY
BUSHE STATEP. ENICUIK
MIDLOTHIAN
E1426008
Provisional atlas of the
lacewings and allied insects
(Neuroptera, Megaloptera,
Raphidioptera and Mecoptera)
of Britain and Ireland
Colin W Plant
(Newham Museum Service,
formerly the Passmore Edwards Museum)
Edited for the Biological Records Centre
by Paul T Harding, Brian C Eversham and Henry R Arnold
Biological Records Centre
NERC Institute of Terrestrial Ecology
Monks Wood
Huntingdon
Citation information:
Plant, C. W. 1994. Provisional atlas of the lacewings and allied
insects (Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Raphidioptera and
Mecoptera) of Britain and Ireland, edited for the Biological
Records Centre by P T Harding, B C Eversham and H R Arnold.
Huntingdon: Biological Records Centre.
INSTITUTOEF T ERRESTRIEACLO LOGY
BUSH ESTATE P,ENICUIK
MIDLOTHIAN
EH26OQB ko\00\00.4
P.,eR
CONTENTS
Page
Preface 5
Introduction 6
The Lacewing Recording Scheme 6
The recording card 6
Identification 10
Confirmation of identifications 11
Sources of the data set 12
Validation of records 12
Vice-county records 15
Synonymic checklist 17
Distribution maps and species accounts 25
Recording coverage 25
Species accounts 25
Distribution maps 28
Raphidioptera 29
Megaloptera 39
Neuroptera 46
Mecoptera 179
Assessment of status and Red Data list 188
Acknowledgements 195
Bibliography 196
Appendix 1. List of museum collections researched 200
Appendix 2. List of literature researched 201
Species index 202
4
PREFACE
The four orders of insects covered scheme in 1988, and his enthusiasm
in this Atlas have traditionally been and hard work have achieved
studied together, even though the striking results in a very short time.
Mecoptera are not particularly In just four years we have gained a
closely related to the other three great deal of up-to-date information
orders. This small group of just on the distribution and status of
over 70 British and Irish species is nearly all the British and Irish
of no great economic importance in species, thanks to the combination
this country (though some species of a dynamic new recording
are used as biological control scheme and a stimulating
agents elsewhere in the world), newsletter, which has a circulation
neither do they have the aesthetic of nearly 150 copies. Four species
appeal of, say, the Lepidoptera, yet have been reported as new to the
they have long been a popular British list since the new recording
group to collect and study. This scheme began, and one has been
interest in an apparently removed.
insignificant group may well have
been stimulated by Killington's two- This is a Provisional Atlas, and our
volume work on the Neuroptera knowledge of the British and Irish
published over 50 years ago by the species will certainly be refined
Ray Society, and this monograph is over the next few years, but there is
still considered a model of its kind. no doubt that the hard work of Colin
Plant, coupled with that of the staff of
The first Neuroptera recording the Biological Records Centre, has
scheme began in the 1970s, but produced a new milestone in the
unhappily it proved to be a false study of lacewings in Britain and
start, and the resultant records are Ireland.
no longer available. Fortunately,
Colin Plant agreed to set up a new Peter Barnard December 1993
5
INTRODUCTION
Lacewings are one of the more launched with the first issue of the
familiar and easily recognised newsletter, Neuro News, and a
groups of insects. In some newly designed recording card.
countries, they are regarded to be Initial fears that such a small group
of considerable economic of insects, which were supposed to
importance as predators of aphids. be difficult to identify and would not
Yet in Britain and Ireland we know find great popularity, were soon
little about the species which occur dispelled. The newsletter
here, and the ecological importance circulation list now contains nearly
and potential economic value of our 150 names and, although not all are
lacewing fauna are scarcely or ever will be active recorders for
acknowledged by ecologists, the Scheme, it is a good measure of
agronomists or foresters. The term the interest in this group in Britain
'lacewing' is used here,in a broad and Ireland.
sense, to cover all the orders
included in thisAtlas. The recording card
The Lacewing Recording
The new recording card (RA 68)
Scheme (Figure 1) was designed with
several intentions. Simple
In an attempt to establish a baseline distribution data (including detailed
of information on the lacewings of site-relatable information), whilst
Britain and Ireland, the Lacewing being the principal objective of the
Recording Scheme was set up by Scheme, are not the only
the author, in collaboration with the information required from the work
Biological Records Centre. The of the recorders. The existing
Scheme was set up to examine and literature on several species is
document the composition and vague regarding aspects such as
distribution of the fauna of Britain larva/plant associations and adult
and Ireland, and to record phenology, and the card was
information on the phenology, designed to aid the recording of
voltinism and habitat preferences of such information. In addition, many
each species. species seem to have been
regarded as rare, mainly because
The Lacewing Recording Scheme they had not been recorded by
started in April 1988 after failure to traditional collecting methods.
revitalise an earlier data gathering Therefore, the card was designed to
operation which had been launched gather information on the collecting
in 1977. The present Scheme was method used to obtain records, in
6
an attempt to see if any patterns of
occurrence and collecting methods
would emerge.
This combined approach to
recording has resulted in new
information on species such as
Psectra diptera. This species was
considered to be very rare, but has
proved to be quite widespread in
England and Wales, a fact which has
been revealed through extensive
use of pitfall traps and water traps in
grassland habitats.
Whilst wishing to gather this
additional information, it was
important to keep the card as
simple and easy to use as possible.
Furthermore, it was important to
include, on a single card, the 72
species then known from Britain and
Ireland. The result was a balance
between these and other
considerations, and the card has
served the Scheme well.
Unless otherwise stated, all of the
data concerning habitats, capture
methods and adult ffight period
originate from completed RA68
cards received between April 1988
and November 1992, to the
exclusion of previously published
information, much of which cannot
be substantiated.
7
Sex
C2
No. CI
H2
HI
V-c. DATE Thne __
NR LSSSIIN2IL)1 'NTrR uLs_tLNROther Altitude metres Field 'Museum 'Llt.Source(Gived etailusv T.irleofl--- Hemer7o06bius micans 707nitidulus709perelegans709pini710.simulans711stigma801Mcualomus hlrtusM1cr9o0m1us Angulatus902paganus903variegatuSnot1h0o0c1hrysa capitata 1002fulvIcepsOsm1y1l0u1s fulvicephalusPar1a2s0e1eidalis fuscipennis 1301Psectra diptera1401Semidalis aleyrodIform1s51syra da1111501fuscata1502termlnalls1583Sympherobluse legans1601fuscescens1602pellucldus1603pygmaeus1604Wesmaelius balticus17011702betulinus1103concinnus1104.malladalmortonl1705.guadrifasciatus17061707raVUSsubnebulosus1708
—
Sex
rse ER C2
e L
v PI
re OM CI
d C
ont an CARD 0 111H2
r
f
Figure 1. RA68 record card - NECORDER/COLLECIOR DETERMINER — 'Iri-c;-: .NO. Planieennia 6439Thne101 Aleuropteryx juniperi Chrys2o01pd abbreviata202 albollneata_ _--203 carneA204 ciliatA205' commata206 dorsalis207 flava208 flavIfrons209perld 210' phyllochroma211 septempunctataventralls212212 v1enfralisp rasina213 vittataJOI. Coniopteryxb orealis302. parthenla303' tInciformls304. species A Conwen4t0s1'iap ineticola402' psoclformis601 Orepanepteryxp halaenoldes60I Hellcoconlsl utes701 Memeroblus atr1frons702. contumax112. fenestratus__—703 humullnus104 luteicens--105 margInatuS
0
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