Entomologist's Gazette - Vol. 71, No. 2, 2020
Published: 4/24/2020
Article Details for this issue
Discovery in Cornwall, England, of the larva of the Tasmanian species Barea asbolaea (Meyrick, 1883) (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), together with an account of all the early stages
By: R. J. HECKFORD & S. D. BEAVAN
Page: 75–92
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
Barea asbolaea (Meyrick, 1883), native to Tasmania, Australia, was first found outside
Tasmania in west Cornwall, England, in 2004 and then in one area on the Isle of Wight,
England, in 2014. It has proved to be an established adventive in both areas. The early stages
were unknown, both in Tasmania and England, prior to 2019 but in that year larvae and pupae
were found in west Cornwall and cocoons with exuviae were found on the Isle of Wight. A
pairing resulted from moths reared from west Cornwall and fertile ova were laid. Descriptions,
with images, of all the early stages are provided. Consideration is given as to how the species
may have arrived in England.
The Spanish endemic Eupithecia gypsophilata Skou, Mironov & Rietz, 2017 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Larentiinae): a contribution to an understanding of its early stages
By: GARETH EDWARD KING & JOSÉ LUIS VIEJO MONTESINOS
Page: 93–97
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
The pupa, cephalic capsule and antenna of the recently described Eupithecia gypsophilata
Skou, Mironov & Rietz, 2017 are detailed from exuviae obtained ex larvae from Madrid and
Saragossa (central Spain).
Nepiesta mandibularis (Holmgren, 1860) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Campopleginae), reared from the larvae of Chrysolina oricalcia (Müller, 1776) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Chrysomelinae) in Essex, U.K.
By: MICHAEL L. COX & GAVIN R. BROAD
Page: 98–102
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
Nepiesta mandibularis (Holmgren) was reared for the first time. This poorly known species
seems to fly early in the spring, when larvae of Chrysolina oricalcia are active. The host record
is consistent with the one previous host record for Nepiesta. We provide photographs of the
cocoon and adult of N. mandibularis.
Small areas of wildflower grassland in urban areas support significant species richness and abundance of pollinating insects
By: LOUISE HUTCHINSON, JOHN NORREY, ALEX LOCKTON & EMMA COULTHARD
Page: 103–119
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
1. Diversity of invertebrate pollinators is essential in supporting flowering plant species
richness, including agricultural crops. In the UK, losses are reported for bees, hoverflies,
butterflies and moths. Urban green spaces are essential refugia for these groups, and restoration
of these areas can improve pollinator diversity through improved floral resources.
2. Our research aimed to compare two differently managed areas of urban amenity grassland
for their insect pollinators, with transect surveys of butterflies, bumblebees, solitary bees and
hoverflies.
3. Our results revealed that even in an urban matrix, a small area of wildflower meadow had
significantly higher insect abundance and species richness than a comparable amenity
grassland. Both abundance and species richness of pollinating insects was positively related to
floral species richness.
4. The wildflower grassland supported a number of notable solitary bee species and numerous
hoverflies, although visitation by solitary bees was confined to only a small number of flowering
plants, exhibiting visitation specialisation; however many of these plant species were not visited
by other taxa.
Attempted mating between Melanargia galathea (Linnaeus, 1758) and Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)
By: GEOFF & GARETH JOHN OWEN
Page: 120
Type: Short Notes
First confirmed records of fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) associated with the Sycamore Fig Ficus sycomorus on a Mediterranean Island
By: S. G. COMPTON, H. NEWTON, M. STAVRINIDES & C. KAPONAS
Page: 121–124
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
The Sycamore Fig and two of its associated fig wasps, Sycophaga sycomori (L.) and Apocrypta
longitarsus Mayr, were introduced to the southern shores of the Mediterranean thousands of
years ago. Here we record that these species are also present in Limassol, Cyprus. These are
the first confirmed records for either species from the islands of the Mediterranean. Three
extra-European Ficus species, in addition to the Edible Fig, are now known to support fig wasps
in Cyprus.
Ömer Besçeli: an unnoticed researcher in the history of pine processionary moth pupation research
By: KAHRAMAN İPEKDAL & MUSTAFA AVCI
Page: 125–129
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
Pine processionary moths, Thaumetopoea wilkinsoni Tams, 1924 and Thaumetopoea
pityocampa ([Denis & Schiffermüller], 1775) (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) are among the most
destructive pine pests in Mediterranean basin. Their larvae descend to the ground from the
canopy in spring for pupation and rest there until late summer. Although this is the general
pattern, pupal period is a plastic feature and can be prolonged for up to several years. It is
considered one of several difficulties of processionary moth management as such a plasticity
provides a continuous support from the underground reservoir to the pest population. This
phenomenon has been known for a long time and its discovery has been attributed to Guy
Démolin; renowned INRA (France) researcher. Here, we report an unnoticed researcher,
Ömer Besçeli, from Turkey who published the phenomenon of prolonged diapause in the pine
processionary moth earlier.
Two new species of Phora Latreille (Diptera: Phoridae) from Germany
By: R. HENRY L. DISNEY
Page: 130–134
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
Phora harzensis sp. n. and P. markshawi sp. n. from the Harz Mountains in Germany are
described.
The application of sex attractant traps for studying the Zygaenidae (Lepidoptera) fauna of Albania
By: BLERINA VRENOZI, JOSEPH BURMAN, TEODORA B. TOSHOVA & GERHARD M. TARMANN
Page: 135–148
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
In Albania, the Zygaenidae family comprises a relatively rich fauna in the Balkans. They
have been studied so far using specimens collected only by using entomological nets or by
hand-picking. Two groups of sticky Delta traps baited with: 1) a synthetic sex pheromone
compound of the Asian species Illiberis rotundata Jordan, 1907 and its opposite enantiomer,
alone and in a mixture, and 2) known sex attractants and experimental lures of the genus
Zygaena were used in the field in seven localities in southern Albania in 2017 for studying the
Procridinae and Zygaeninae fauna, respectively. Four species belonging to the genera Zygaena,
Adscita and Jordanita were captured and identified: Zygaena (Zygaena) filipendulae (Linnaeus,
1758), Zygaena (Agrumenia) carniolica (Scopoli, 1763), Adscita (Tarmannita) mannii (Lederer,
1853) and Jordanita (Tremewania) notata (Zeller, 1847). A. mannii and J. notata were newly
recorded in the Counties of Korçë and Gjirokastër. Z. filipendulae was recorded for the first time
in the Gjirokastër County and in the municipalities of Prrenjas (Elbasan County) and Finiq
(Vlorë County), while Z. carniolica was newly recorded in Prrenjas municipality. Some other
sex attractants did not work for either the target species or for other related ones, which we
discuss in relation to species cross attraction and geographical variation.
Paraswammerdamia ruthiella Steuer, 1993 a junior synonym of P. albicapitella (Scharfenberg, 1805) (Lepidoptera: Yponomeutidae)
By: DAVID AGASSIZ
Page: 149–150
Type: Paper
Synopsis:
The case for retaining Paraswammerdamia ruthiella Steuer, 1993 as a good species is
reviewed. It should be regarded as a junior synonym of P. albicapitella (Scharfenberg, 1805),
since there is no further evidence that it is a distinct species.