Hartland Moor, Purbeck

I have to visit Hartland Moor at least once a year, as I've said before, there is just so much to see if you like invertebrates. I managed to see three new species of bee and one new species of wasp (kind of... more on that later) along with most of the usuals. 

Hartland Moor habitat.

Firstly, no trip to Hartland Moor in the summer would be complete without photographing the beautiful Silver-Studded Blue - Plebejus argus.

 BEES

 Hairy-saddled Colletes - Colletes fodiens

Coast Leafcutter Bee - Megachile maritima with Cinnabar Moth caterpillar - Tyria jacobaeae

Male Pantaloon Bee - Dasypoda hirtipes

New for me were:

Small Sandpit Mining Bee - Andrena argentata.

 I didn't get very good photos of this which is an excellent excuse to go back next year. Like I need one!

Male Small Shaggy Bee - Panurgus calcaratus

 

Black-thighed Epeolus - Epeolus variegatus

This is a cuckoo bee which attacks the nests of Colletes species. In this case several were investigating the nest of a Hairy-Saddled Colletes - Colletes fodiens as the following video clips show.

FLIES

Mottled Bee-fly - Thyridanthrax fenestratus

 

 

Tessellated Bee Burgler - Miltogramma germari
 

WASPS

Neimela's Cuckoo Wasp - Hedychrum neimelai

Purbeck Mason Wasp - Pseudepipona herrichii

Seen here with caterpillar prey next to burrow. 

Finally here's a video showing a Small Velvet Ant - Smicromyrme rufipes a species I was particularly on the lookout for. It appears on the right hand side and wanders across top corner of the frame. This occurred when I was in the middle of trying to get some video footage of bee nests, so it's just a case of a photobombing Small velvet Ant. They are very small, averaging just 6mm long and I didn't see it at the time, only spotting it when reviewing my video footage later. So really it doesn't count does it? Oh well, another good excuse for a return visit. What's not to like about that!

 

 

A Selection of Solitary Wasps from Aylesbeare Common

I spent quite a few days looking for interesting species of solitary wasps on Aylesbeare Common last summer and here's a selection of some of them. 

DIGGER WASPS & CUCKOO WASPS

Ornate Tailed Digger Wasp/Ornate Bee Fox- Cerceris rybyensis.

 This common digger wasp preys on small species of solitary bee. 

 

Sand Tailed Digger Wasp/Weevil Wolf - Cerceris arenaria.  

This common species preys on weevils. Here it can be seen carrying prey to its burrow.

Flange-faced Weevil Wolf - Cerceris ruficornis. 

A less common species which preys on small weevils and leaf beetles. It can be identified by its unusual strongly protruding clypeal mid-lobe. 

 

Noble Cuckoo Wasp - Hedychrum nobile

A kleptoparasitic brood parasite of the Cerceris digger wasp species featured above. Here it can be seen investigating the burrow of Cerceris arenaria.

 Sheildbug Stalker - Astata boops

A small black and red digger wasp which preys on sheildbugs. 

 

Dull Cuckoo Wasp - Hedychridium roseum.

This beautiful cuckoo wasp is the kleptoparasitic brood parasite of Astata boops.

 

Plantbug Fox - Lindenius albilabris

A small black species of digger wasp which preys on plant bugs, a mating pair seen here.

Large Shield Wasp/Slender bodied Digger Wasp - Crabro cribrarius

The male wasp has a shield-like plant on the front legs, from which it derives one of its common names.

 

OTHER SOLITARY WASPS

 Heath Potter Wasp - Eumenes coarctatus

 

Large Velvet Ant - Mutilla europaea

A very unusual solitary wasp. The female is wingless, a feature which gives it an ant-like appearance, and leads to its being called a 'velvet ant' and are well known for having a very painful sting. They are a nest parasite of bumblebees. 

Tiger Beetle Wasp - Methoca articulata

This small, scarce species is another with wingless females that resemble ants. They search for the burrows of predatory tiger beetle larvae and allow themselves to be captured and because of their tough ball-bearing like thoracic segments they evade the beetle larvae's jaws and are able sting it. Once it's paralysed they drag it to the bottom of its own burrow, lay an egg on it, fill in the entrance and go on to find their next victim.

Alylebeare Common Flies

A selection of flies seen on Aylesbeare Common last year. 

HOVERFLIES

Superb Anthill Hoverfly -  Xanthogramma pedissequum

Two-banded Spearhorn - Chrysotoxum bicinctum

White-clubbed Glasswing - Scaeva pyrastri

Migrant Broadtail - Eupeodes corollae

Early Epistrophe - Epistrophe elegans

Orange-belted Leaf-walker - Xylota segnis

Figwort Cheilosia - Cheilosia variabilis

Female Globetail species - Sphaerophoria sp. Apparently females of this genus are impossible to identify to species.

Common Weeny - Paragus haemorrhous

BEE-FLIES 

Dark-edged Bee-fly - Bombylius major. Female collecting sand on her abdomen.

Western Bee-fly - Bombylius canescens

OTHER FLIES

Noon Fly - Mesembrina meridiana 

Four-barred Knapweed Sawfly - Urophora quadrifasciata. This fly is less than 3mm long!
 

Small Bee Grabber - Thecophora atra

NOT EVEN FLIES 

Mother Shipton - Callistege mi

Green Hairstreak - Callophrys rubi