NOTES ON THE SUFFOLK LIST OF COLEOPTERA: 16 FIFTEEN FURTHER SPECIES NEW TO THE LIST

107 FRESHWATER INVERTEBRATES

Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 48 (2012)

NOTES ON THE SUFFOLK LIST OF COLEOPTERA: 16 FIFTEEN FURTHER SPECIES NEW TO THE LIST TOGETHER WITH

SOME RECENT INTERESTING RECORDS DAVID R. NASH

This paper continues my up-dating of the Suffolk list of coleoptera and details 14 species new to the county (asterisked) together with some other significant recent records. Records are allocated to vice-county and National Grid references are provided, with those assigned by me to old records being placed in square brackets. Records not assigned to a recorder are my own. Nomenclature follows Duff (2012).

The national status for most scarce and threatened species is as given by Hyman in his National Review (1992) although many designations provided there are in need of revision. The status for water beetles follows Foster (2010) who uses the ICUN Red List Categories and Criteria 2001, version 3.1.

CARABIDAE Carabus monilis Fabricius. Originally Nationally Scarce B, now upgraded; Suffolk Habitat Action Plan C. monilis is a large carabid associated with a variety of habitats from upland heaths to cultivated land, chiefly on well-draining soils. Until around the middle of the last century it was considered to be quite generally distributed and locally often not uncommon.

In Suffolk, the species appears to have always been rather rare. Morley (1899) gives “Eye District VC25 [TM17]. (Tyrer).– Bury District VC26 [TL86]. (Tuck).– Ipswich, uncommon” and in his annotated copy he adds “Monk Soham [TM2065], sometimes in house at light e.g. 7. vi. 1930”.

In Morley’s collection there is a W. H. Tuck specimen which bears the data “v. [19]04, Bury” as well as C. G. Doughty material labelled “12. v. [19]30, Gorleston” VC25 [TG50].

The Carabid Recording Scheme has the following records on its database: 1903, Aldringham VC25 [TM46]. Record supplied by A. A. Allen. 1927, Sudbury VC26 [TL84] Doncaster Museum. No collector’s name

given but I suspect Philip Harwood from the date and locality. Harwood frequently omitted his name when distributing duplicates.

6. vii. 1946, Bury St Edmunds VC26 (TL8565),O. Gilbert. Until this year, the last known Suffolk record was that of Clifford Barham

who had found a specimen squashed on a pavement in Ipswich VC25 (TM1845) on 12

th August 1956. It was very pleasing, therefore, to receive

from Matt Berry, a photo of one which he came across in Chantry Park, Ipswich (TM135440) (See Cover). This record was closely followed by a photo from Chris Woolley of another, still alive, from a pitfall trap operated between 19

th–26

th April, 2012 which had been set in an area of ruderal

vegetation south of the old Fison’s fertiliser plant in Paper Mill Lane, Bramford adjacent to the railway line (TM126471).

Mark Telfer recently upgraded the status of this species which now appears to be the most declined of all British carabids (see Suffolk HAP) although, since publishing this upgrade, he has been receiving 2-3 records


Suffolk Natural History, Vol. 48 108

each year (Mark Telfer, pers. comm.) which may perhaps indicate a change in its fortunes or else an indication of more coleopterists putting their finds of it on record because of its designated rarity. A number of suggestions have been put forward to account for the species’ decline including pesticides, the change by farmers from spring sowing to autumn sowing, and habitat fragmentation.

Ophonus laticollis Mannerheim. Nationally scarce A, BAP Ophonus laticollis is a scarce ground beetle with a south-eastern distribution in Britain. Morley (1899), under punctatulus Duft., gives: “Southwold [TM57] in 1877 (Saunders) – Coddenham [TM15], 1895 (Fox). – Near Bentley Church [TM1138] (Elliott) – Ipswich District, somewhat rare”. Morley (annotated copy) tells us that Elliott found one, Fox got three and that he took two at Bentley Woods (sic) [TM1239]on 27. vi. 1896 (one extant in coll.). He adds “Occurs merely singly. Freckenham, [TL67] May, 1920 (Donisthorpe); Icklingham [TL77], 1927” (captor indecipherable).

I have the following records from VC25: 31. viii. 1954, one, Playford (TM2047),Clifford Barham; 14. vi. 1975, one

under piece of asbestos, chalk pit, Little Blakenham (TM1049); -. x. 1978, one in Lonely Jack Overton’s garden, Cottage Farm, Little Blakenham (TM1149); 7. viii. 1999, one, fish-baited pitfall in garden, Wherstead (TM1641).

I can now add two further records for VC26: 15. v. 1932, Mildenhall [TL77] Philip Harwood (in diary); 13. viii. 2012, one

swept from wild parsnip, New Barnham Slip (TL840795), James McGill. Mark Telfer (pers. comm.) has numerous records from the Norfolk Breck.

Stenolophus teutonus (Schrank) Nationally scarce B A few years ago, I reported the first Suffolk records of this distinctive carabid which was unlikely to have been overlooked in the county by Morley and the visiting collectors of his time (Nash, 2005; Nash, 2007). Both the original records were associated with gravel extraction; I can now report it occurring away from such man-made habitats.

On 19. vi .2012, Nigel Cuming noted around 40-50 examples running around water-filled hoof prints of ponies in a damp gateway near a stream by a grazing marsh at RSPB Minsmere,VC25 (TM4467). Returning on the 30

th,,

none could be found as ponies were present and trampling in the area, but between July 11

th and July 23

rd he found 8 specimens under nearby

vegetation or in Juncus tussocks.

Polistichus connexus (Geoffroy in Fourcroy) RDB2 - Vulnerable This rare, very local and usually coastal, ground beetle of the extreme south and east of England typically occurs in cracks and crevices of clay soils and cliff bases although it also occurs on sandy or gravelly soils (Luff, 2007). Stephens (1828, p.13) originally knew of only four British specimens but in his “Addenda and Corrigenda” p. 175 he gives “Found in profusion , in April 1828, beneath a heap of stones, on the coast near Southwold [TM57], Suffolk.” Morley (1899) states “This was, I believe, the first British record” which indicates that he had probably not consulted the Stephens’ volume himself and had relied upon someone else to extract the Suffolk records for him.



I have the following recent records: 13. viii. 2004, 1 in pitfalls (coded “68-1”) operated to this date in arable

reversion to heathland, RSPB Minsmere VC25 (TM459685), Malcolm Ausden. 22. ix. 2012, 1 under piece of concrete in area of vegetated shingle and

brackish pools, Orford Ness,VC25 (TM453502), James McGill.

DYTISCIDAE *Graphoderus cinereus IUCN threat category - vulnerable This rare water beetle with a highly restricted distribution occurs in richly vegetated lowland ponds and ditches. There are modern records for Dorset, East Sussex, East Kent and Surrey and older records for South Essex, East Norfolk and Hereford. Most significantly, however, although it has been recorded from 14 hectads, it has only been recorded from 6 since 1980 showing a clear evidence of decline (Foster, 2010).

A single example was netted by Stuart Warrington in the relatively shallow (typically less than 20 cm) “dragonfly pool” on the shingle at Orford Ness (TM441486). It remains to be seen whether this was a migrant individual or one from an established colony in the area.

HYDROPHILIDAE Berosus fulvus (Kuwert) IUCN threat category - vulnerable In this country, the water beetle Berosus fulvus is confined to often very sparsely vegetated, still, shallow, brackish water near the sea. It has been recorded from just 8 English hectads since 1980 (Foster, 2010).

Morley (1899) gives two records (under spinosus Stevens) – 29. 4. 97, one in brackish ditch, Bawdsey [TM33] (Elliott) and 1898, one in brackish ditch, Felixstowe [TM33]. Morley’s Felixstowe specimen was taken on 7

th June and

is the only representative in his collection. The species was lost sight of in Suffolk until September 3

rd 1961 when my

old friend Clifford Barham found it in abundance by dredging the stones and shingle on the edge of a brackish lagoon at Shingle Street (TM3743) but I was unable to find it there when I looked there in 1999 and 2003.

To these records can now be added those of Stuart Warrington who took 2 examples from a sparsely vegetated ditch in Airfield Marsh, Orford Ness VC25 (TM435489) on 29

th June, 2011 (Warrington, 2011) and Anthony J. Allen

who found it in the same place on 12. ix. 2011.

HISTERIDAE *Hololepta plana (Sulzer). Recent colonist Proportionally for its size (8–9mm in length), the shiny black histerid Hololepta plana is, in cross section, among the thinnest of beetles ,looking very much like a beetle which has been squashed underfoot on a pavement. It is thus perfectly adapted for a subcortical life with the predatory adults and larvae living beneath the bark of recently dead, fallen or felled trunks, branches and stumps, principally of poplar (Populus sp.), but also those of some other tree species.

The beetle was first found in this country under the bark of a felled poplar near the Little Ouse River close to Santon Downham, Norfolk in 2009 (Allen & Hance, 2009).

NOTES ON SUFFOLK COLEOPTERA



On 14th

April, 2012, 4 exx. of the beetle were found near the bridge at Two Mile Bottom by James McGill under the wet laminating bark of a felled poplar on the Suffolk side of the Little Ouse River (TL846869) not far from the site on the Norfolk side.

BUPRESTIDAE *Agrilus sulcicollis Lacordaire. Recent colonist Three new jewel beetles have been found in this country since 1992 with Agrilus sulcicollis the first to occur. It develops under or in the bark of oak and beech and was initially reported from Hertfordshire in June, 1992 (James, 1994). It is almost always found on the trunks of oak trees or logs. The beetle can now be added to our list:

3. vi. 2009, one found dead in spider’s web on fallen oak bough, Fakenham Wood VC26 (TL923773), Geoff Nobes.

*Agrilus cyanescens Ratzeburg (Buprestidae) Recent colonist Like A. sulcicollis, A. cyanescens is entirely blue in colour. It was first found on a strip of derelict land in East London in June 2008 together with a third new British species A. cuprescens (Ménétriés) which is associated with brambles and Rosa rugosa both of which are quite likely used for breeding purposes (Hodge, 2010). Although cyanescens is recorded as being polyphagous on a range of broadleaf trees, there is growing evidence that honeysuckle Lonicera may be the main host plant although adults appear to mostly occur on bramble leaves. The record below supports the latter supposition.

Both these new species have subsequently turned up at a considerable distance from London although it is not known if this results from dispersion from the site of the original discovery or as a result of separate introductions.

I have the following record for cyanescens. The specimen was exhibited at the 2012 BENHS Exhibition (Levy, in press).

27. vi. 2012, one on honeysuckle leaves growing amongst bramble in shade beneath birch trees, Cavenham Heath NNR, VC26, (TL752724), Brian Levy.

*Trachys subglaber Rey In February1897, Claude Morley took 27 examples (Feb. 9

th, 23; Feb. 22nd, 3)

of Trachys troglodytes Gyllenhall in Schonherr from flood refuse by the River Gipping near Ipswich VC25 [TM14] (Morley, 1897). There are 11 exx. standing over troglodytes in the Morley collection, 6 labelled “Ipswich, 9. ii. 1897” and 5 labelled “Ipswich, 22. ii. 1897”.

It has recently been recognised (Levy, 2012) that we have a second species – subglaber Rey – mixed with troglodytes in our collections. Most of the material examined by Levy (loc. cit.) proved to be subglaber and included two males almost certainly from Morley’s 1897 flood refuse captures, found in the Champion collection at the Natural History Museum. The date assigned to them is erroneously given as “Ipswich, 22. iii. 1897”.

In the material examined, the true troglodytes was only represented by two old specimens from Kent taken in 1873 and 1905 and ten specimens taken in West Suffolk – 9 exx. Mildenhall [TL77] and 1 ex. Freckenham [TL67]



These last were almost certainly all taken by the great collector Philip Harwood with several bearing the date “v. [19]21” and his name or initials. My notes from my study of Harwood’s diary for 1921 show that he took 30 exx. at Freckenham on the 11

th May, another 36 exx. there the following day

and that he recorded it there again on the 14th. No troglodytes are listed as originating from Mildenhall although he collected there on the 7

th and 8

th

May. Sometimes in his diary e.g. 31. v. 1924 he describes his collecting locality as “Mildenhall-Freckenham”. I suspect that when distributing his duplicates of troglodytes he probably supplied some recipients with the general locality “Mildenhall” and others with the more precise locality of his captures i.e. “Freckenham”. It is testimony to Harwood’s well-known eye for a new species that he had suspected that these Breck beetles were different from those troglodytes s. lat. he had seen from elsewhere and considered that they represented a new species, even separating them off in his collection as “new”. He confided this not long before his death in 1957 to his friend the late Anthony A. Allen, who had an extensive collection of his duplicates including some of the Mildenhall specimens (vide Allen, 1968).

Levy (loc. cit.) found that those subglaber with host records in his study material were associated with Devil’s-bit scabious Succisa pratensis and suggests that the most likely host of troglodytes in this country is Knautia arvensis. On the continent, subglaber appears to be associated with damp conditions whilst troglodytes affects drier ones.

Given that Levy has determined two of Morley’s haul from flood refuse as subglaber, I have no doubt that all Morley’s specimens will prove to be that species.

ELATERIDAE Elater ferrugineus Linnaeus RDB1 - Endangered Elater ferrugineus is our largest click beetle as well as one of our rarest. It develops in the wood mould and debris inside old, hollow deciduous trees especially oaks and beeches.

Morley (1899) records it (as Ludius ferrugineus) “One specimen on sugar, at Santon Downham [TL88], on September 1

st, 1886”. This had been taken by

Frank Norgate of Bury St Edmunds and named for him by Mr. J. Gardner who had passed the record to Morley. The species was then lost sight of in the county for exactly a century until it occurred to Howard Mendel in the Suffolk Breck on 7. xii. 1986 who found five larvae beneath a jackdaw nest in a rot-hole of a grey poplar on Icklingham Plains, VC26 (TL7573) (Mendel, 1989). There are no specimens in the Morley collection.

On the continent, the recent development of pheromone lures has proved very effective in establishing sites where ferrugineus occurs so that the habitat can be appropriately managed for its conservation. This technique is currently being used by Deborah Harvey of Royal Holloway College whose research involves the use of these lures to detect and help with the conservation of a number of our rare, endangered saproxylic coleoptera. Whilst use of these lures has proved very effective in attracting E. ferrugineus when located in such places as wood pastures and parkland from




where it was already known or could be expected to occur, they have also resulted in the detection of the beetle (often in numbers) in places where its presence would not have been suspected. On a warm afternoon at the NT Wimpole Estate in Cambridgeshire, for example, over 20 males were attracted within an hour to a lure placed by Simon Damant and at another site dozens were attracted to the researcher’s car when the boot containing the lures was opened.

Stuart Warrington of the National Trust tested out some of the lures in Hertfordshire, North Essex and Suffolk. Sitting out in his garden in Hertfordshire in 2011 with a closed pheromone vial in his pocket, one Elater landed on him after just 20 minutes.

At noon on 3rd

August 2011, a warm muggy day, Stuart put a vial on a fallen oak branch in Mordaboy’s Meadow on the northern edge of Ickworth Park VC26 (TL814631). Four hours later a male E. ferrugineus was found sitting some 20 cm from the lure (Plate 9). Stuart repeated the exercise at Ickworth on 10th August 2012 and at 2 p.m. two adults were attracted to a lure placed three hours earlier at New Warren Wood (TL813633) showing the beetle to be well-established at the site.

DERMESTIDAE *Anthrenus sarnicus Mroczkowski Anthrenus beetles are commonly known as carpet beetles because of the damage their larvae can do to furnishings. Popularly known as “woolly bears”, these larvae feed on almost any dried animal product e.g. fur, feathers, wool, and dried insects, and feed in most of our houses on the fluff, dust, dead flies and food debris which accumulate in difficult to clean places such as cracks in floors, cupboards and windowsills.

Anthrenus sarnicus was described as a species new to science in 1962 on the basis of specimens from Guernsey, Channel Islands. Edwards (1969) reviewed the status of the insect in this country citing its occurrence in several houses in London and at one in Salisbury,Wiltshire. The species has become quite widely distributed since that time. A. sarnicus in its typical form is, even to the naked eye, plainly a greyer insect than A. verbasci (L.) which is the species most commonly found in our houses.

In November, 2008 it was detected by Robert Child in the National Trust’s Melford Hall (TL867462).

DERODONTIDAE *Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer Species of Laricobius feed on adelgid Homoptera. The preferred host of erichsonii is the woolly aphid Adelges piceae (Ratzeburg), which is a pest of conifers especially Douglas Fir and spruce. Following the use of this beetle as an effective biological control agent of woolly aphids on the continent, 1,800 beetles from Germany were introduced into Kent in 1972 to deal with a major infestation of firs, but it appears the species failed to establish itself permanently at the site.

The beetle is long overdue for notice in our transactions having been added to the British list thirty years ago by Hammond & Barham (1982) on



the strength of a single example taken by Barham in 1971 which, having been unable to recognise it as a British species, I submitted to Peter Hammond for identification. It should be noted that this specimen was collected prior to the 1972 release in Kent. Since this time the species has continued to colonise the country and has recently been found in Scotland.

The Suffolk records known to me are as follows: 15. v. 1971, 1 beaten firs (probably Abies sp.), Boyton VC25 (TM3647),

Clifford Barham. 27. v. 1980, many beaten, on the Shrubland Estate, Coddenham VC25

from ca. 15-20year old Douglas Firs at TM1154 and from Douglas Firs and mature larch at TM1153. Found there regularly whenever I worked for it in subsequent years including in NG squares TM1252 and 1253. Last noted 19

th

July, 2000. 12. v. 1981, beaten larch, Bridge Wood, Ipswich VC25 (TM1840) and 15.

v .1981, beaten spruce, Rendlesham Forest, VC25 (TM3451), Howard Mendel. 28. vii. 1991, Elveden VC26 (TL8080), (Martin Collier) 28. vi. 2000, beaten Douglas Fir, Hollesley VC25 (TM3444).

*Rhizophagus fenestralis (L.) (= parvulus Paykull) RDB3 - Rare Added to the British list by Johnson (1962) on the basis of specimens taken by himself and his friend the late Peter Skidmore under the bark of recently felled birches and oak in the vicinity of Glen Affric, Inverness-shire. There are specimens in the Natural History Museum taken by Peter Hammond in 2006 in Richmond Park in 2006 (Howard Mendel, pers. comm.) and it has been recorded from three localities in Norfolk between 2003 and 2010 (Martin Collier, pers. comm.).

The species can now be added to our list: 23. iii – 6. iv. 2012, in pitfall trap with vinegar, West Stow VC26 (TL7971),

Howard Mendel.

*Adistemia watsoni (Wollaston) Adistemia watsoni is a well-known, but rarely recorded, pest of herbaria where it feeds upon moulds attacking the dried plants. Hinton (1941) reports many adults feeding on “Mucor Mucedo L. and Penicillium glaucum” (sic) growing on plant specimens at the Natural History Museum, London.

Ann Ainsworth found a single example on a yellow sticky trap set for pests in the herbarium at Ipswich Museum on 20. xi. 2009 (det. J. Bowdrey).

OEDEMERIDAE Oedemera (Oncomera) femoralis (Olivier) Nationally scarce B Oedemera femoralis is a nocturnal, locally distributed, but rarely recorded beetle. Almost all records are of adults at autumnal ivy bloom or spring sallow blossom; it has also occurred at MV light and moth collector’s “sugar”. As far as I am aware, precise details of its life history and larval biology are still not known.

The only Suffolk record known to me until this year was that in Morley (1899) viz. “Once near Bungay before 1868 (Garneys)”; Morley never took the beetle.




A few years ago, I had asked Neil Sherman to look out for this relatively large species (12–16 mm) when mothing at ivy bloom after dark, because there are no other macrocoleoptera likely to occur on ivy in the autumn. Around 20.00 hours on 4

th October,

2012, Neil Sherman and friends noted at least 4 at ivy bloom in a lane at Little Blakenham VC25 (TM1148) and he, realising the importance of voucher specimens, sent me one for confirmation.

ADERIDAE *Vanonus brevicornis (Perris) RDB2 - Vulnerable This very rare, little saproxylic beetle appears to breed chiefly in the rotten wood of the interior of old oaks and beeches and is currently known from probably less than a score of British examples. Anthony A. Allen (1959) summarises the known British records up to that time.

On August 3rd

2011, Anthony J. Allen took a singleton in a fungus at the base of an old oak in Ickworth Park, VC26 (TL8161) (Allen, 2012).

CERAMBYCIDAE *Paracorymbia fulva (De Geer) RDB3 - Rare Longhorn beetles have always been popular with people who like to amass a collection of spectacular-looking beetles from around the globe. Many such collectors are prepared to pay large sums of money - £1000 or over - for a single specimen. Most longhorns develop in rotten wood, but a number develop in stems or occur at plant roots. Because of their size, popularity and ease with which the majority of the wood-feeders can be bred, the life history of almost all European species is known. Paracorymbia fulva is an exception. It appears not to breed in wood but precisely where it develops is unknown although Martin Rejzek, National Cerambycid Recorder (pers. comm.) considers it highly probable that it develops underground, perhaps feeding on fungal mycelia around or on the roots.

P. fulva appears in a list of beetles sent to me by Tony Warne about a decade ago and I recently found that this record had been transferred to the NBN Gateway site. viz. 29. v. 1976 Bradfield Woods, Bradfield St George VC26 (TL9357) A. C . Warne. After receiving the list I had flagged up the record as probably erroneous and most likely Stictoleptura rubra (L.). I contacted Tony after the Ipswich capture and he accepted it might be an error and said he would try to locate the specimen, but it appears that he has been unable to do so. In the absence of the specimen, I consider this record should be discounted because of the expanding range of S. rubra around the time of the capture and the known range of P. fulva at that time.

A single example of P. fulva was photographed by Robert Garrod on a flowerhead of spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten.) in the wildflower area of Holywells Park, Ipswich, VC25 (TM175436) on July 31

st, 2010 (Plate

10). I searched for it on August 10th

but without success as did Howard Mendel this year. Hyman (1992) assigned it rare status, considering it very local and much declined with post-1970 records for only Dorset and South and North Hants. Since that publication, however, the beetle has been turning up with increased frequency in some other localities in the southern half of the country.



Hylotrupes bajulus (L.) This beetle was originally a forest insect, feeding almost exclusively in coniferous trees (Pinus, Picea and Abies). However, although it has been recorded as breeding in the wild in this country, Hylotrupes bajulus is popularly known with us as the House Longhorn because it is most frequently recorded as a serious pest which infests coniferous timber within buildings even boring, as adult and larva, through metal sheeting covering wooden structures and lead cables. Following the Second World War, the beetle began to be recorded much more frequently because the widespread use of fast-grown, imperfectly seasoned softwoods as roof timbers enabled optimum larval growth. Changes in house construction also caused exceptionally warm conditions in roof spaces during the summer months, thereby accelerating larval growth and providing more cracks in the timber for oviposition.

Suffolk records known to me are as follows: “Frostenden-hall [TM4881], Suffolk.” - W. C. Hewitson, Esq. (Stephens,

1831). Elliott (1936) confirmed that the beetle should be considered a Suffolk

species based on the record contained in Doughty (1929) who writes “I had the good fortune to take a specimen crawling up a friend’s back while we were talking together in Avondale Road, Gorleston [TG50]on the 13

th May

1920”. Despite this last record there are no British specimens present in the Morley/Doughty collection.

On 10th

February 2012, two larvae (one live and one dead) of H. bajulus were received by Joe Ostoja-Starzewski at The Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton for identification. They had come from a pine window frame with 7 mm emergence holes from a property on High Street, Hopton [TL98].

ANTHRIBIDAE Platyrhinus resinosus (Scopoli) Nationally scarce B Following the recent discovery of this beetle in the eastern vice-county (Nash, 2010), it can now be reported from VC26:

26. vi. 2012,one swept away from any trees, Maidscross Hill (TL7282), Brian Levy.

CURCULIONIDAE *Magdalis memnonia (Gyllenhall) The black weevil Magdalis memnonia breeds in sickly or diseased pines and was added to the British list following the discovery of a specimen on grass in Friston Forest near Eastbourne by Peter Hodge in 1972 (Allen,1972). Morris (2002) gives its current known distribution as East and West Sussex, North Hampshire and Surrey.

I have the following records all from the King’s Forest, VC26: 12. vi. 2010, one swept on a ploughed experimental plot near Elveden

(TL812764),Geoff Nobes; 24. iv. 2012, beaten from Pinus sapling in clear-felled area (TL8175), Howard Mendel; 05. vi. 2012, swept from grassy ride in




plantations (TL820748), James McGill; 26. vi. 2012, numerous adults on small dying Pinus, Chalk Lane (TL8374), Brian Levy.

Three of these records are currently in press (Nobes & Mcgill, 2013; Levy 2013).

*Bagous lutulentus (Gyllenhal) (= nigritarsis Thompson) Nationally scarce B B. lutulentus, a widespread, but local weevil of aquatic and wetland habitats, develops and pupates in the stems of marsh horsetail Equisetum fluviatile L.

Nigel Cuming recorded the weevil (det. DRN) from a grazing marsh at RSPB Minsmere VC 25 (TM4467) on a number of occasions in 2011 with the first two being swept from the beetle’s host plant on 8

th June and 30+ being

recorded by vacuum sampling the plants on 26th

June. The beetle was still present when looked for on 27

th May, 2012.

Morley (1899) recorded a single example of B. glabrirostris Herbst from Oulton Broad [TM5192]. The beetle is extant in Morley’s collection and bears the data “21. iv. 98, OB”.

In his annotated copy, Morley records that E. A .Newbery subsequently checked this specimen for him and named it as glabrirostris var. nigritarsis Thompson. At one time, lutulentus Gy. was considered synonymous with glabrirostris var. nigritarsis Thompson, but now nigritarsis Thompson is considered a straight synonym of lutulentus, with glabrirostris existing without any recognised synonyms in our latest “Checklist” (Duff, 2012).

The following records are in Morley’s annotated copy: “Two in vegetable refuse at side of ditch, Barnby Broad [TM49] 13 April,

1900 (Bedwell). One at Barnby Broad in refuse 26. ix. 1900 (hard to decipher, possibly ?

Elliott). 1 swept rushes, Minsmere Level [TM46] 12. ix. 1912 (CM)” So, after exactly a century, Morley’s record from Minsmere is reaffirmed.

*Procas granulicollis (Walton) RDB - Endemic Procas granulicollis is endemic to the British Isles and used to be considered one of our rarest beetles with very few known specimens vide Kenward, 1990. Over the last twenty years or so, however, it has been found more frequently, mostly at sites with bracken where climbing corydalis (Ceratocapnos claviculata) is growing (Fowles, 1992). This plant is found in heathy woodlands and on shady slopes, especially on peaty soils, but it is hard to see how this can be this weevil’s larval host.

On May 6, 2010 Nigel Cuming found one example (teste DRN) crawling on the ground near to C. claviculata growing around bracken on the north facing slope of Snape Warren RSPB Reserve (TM4058); between this date and 22

nd

June he secured a further 13 exx. by sieving bracken litter in the area. An additional 8 exx. were sieved between 16

th April and 29 April, 2011, but

cessation of grazing by the Exmoor Ponies began to result in the shading out of the Corydalis by the vigorous, now unchecked bracken growth. In 2012, the Corydalis had virtually disappeared and no further weevils were found. This record is the first for East Anglia.



*Thryogenes fiorii Zumpt This weevil occurs in wet meadows and beside water bodies where it develops in the stems of sedges Carex spp. It had been mixed in with T. nereis (Paykull) until its presence in our collections was detected by Roger Booth (1993). The only Suffolk record known to me is that of 3 males and 3 females swept by Mike Morris on 1

st June 1972 from a sedge by the River Stour at

Flatford Mill, East Bergholt VC 25 (TM076331).

*Dorytomus filirostris (Gyllenhall) Nationally scarce B The larvae of Dorytomus filirostris develop in the catkins of black poplar Populus nigra and its hybrids. Morris (2002) considers it very local and generally scarce and suggests that it may be a relatively recent colonist in this country. It was added to the British list by Allen (1947) who reported the beating of an example from Populus nigra L. at Wicken Fen by R. R. U. Kaufmann on August 3

rd, 1945.

I have the following records from VC26: 18. vi. 1969, beaten near poplar, Barton Mills roundabout (TL7274), Mike

Morris; 4. ix. 1974, reared 30. iv. 1975 from P. nigra catkins, Groton Wood (TL9641), Mike Morris; 6. i. 1980, from black poplar on waste ground, Barton Mills roundabout (TL7274) and from grey poplar, Mildenhall, (TL7275), Peter Hodge; 15. vi 1980, black poplar, Mildenhall (TL7275), Peter Hodge; 15. vi. 1980, beaten from both poplar and aspen, Lakenheath (TL7383), Howard Mendel; 29.v.1993, beaten poplar, Monkspark Wood (TL9257), Howard Mendel.

I have the following records from VC25, with all mine by beating P. nigra hybrids:

6. ii. 1973, reared from P. × serotina catkins, Monewden, (TM2459), Mike Morris; 19. vi. 1988, several, by roadside, Sproughton (TM1244) - also taken in this locality by Ernie Ives (pers. comm. Clifford Barham); 21. v. 1999, near Spooner’s Wood, East Bergholt (TM0934); 16. vi. 1999, disused gravel pit, Raydon (TM0438); 30. v. 2000, Rectory Lane, Brantham (TM1134).

*Zacladus exiguus (Olivier) Nationally scarce B This weevil is associated with Geranium spp. It is surprising that it has not been previously recorded in the county.

I have the following personal records all from sites in VC25 with Geranium:

30. v. 1978 1 swept near River Gipping, Bramford (TM1246); 22. vi. 1999, 1 swept by pond and a second in overgrown field nearby, Flowton (TM0745); 20. vi. 2001, 1 swept by A12 underpass, Bentley (TM1038) and 2 swept rough area beside A12, Stratford St Mary (TM0938); 13. vi. 2002, 1 swept in disused gravel pit on Shrubland Estate, Barham (TM1351); 13. vi. 2004, 1 swept in disused, overgrown carpark, Cattawade (TM1033).




Acknowledgements I am grateful to Howard Mendel and Nigel Cuming for keeping me appraised of their finds and for allowing me to include their unpublished records. I thank the following for allowing me to publish their records: Clifford Barham, Matt Berry, Robert Garrod, Peter Hodge, Brian Levy, James McGill, Mike Morris, Geoff Nobes, Neil Sherman, Joe Ostoja-Starzewsky, Chris Woolley; Dr Deborah Harvey, Royal Holloway College for allowing me to publish details from her ongoing research which involves the use of pheromone lures to detect and help with the conservation of a number of our rare, endangered saproxylic coleoptera; Stuart Warrington, for his own and other National Trust records as well as information on his experience of using pheromone lures for E. ferrugineus; Mark Telfer, Martin Rejzek and Martin Collier for helpful information and discussion; Darren Mann, Entomology Curator, Hope Department, Oxford University Museum for organising my loan of the Harwood diaries; Ann Ainsworth, Colchester Museum, natural history curator at Ipswich Museum, for access to, and help with, the Morley/Doughty collection.

Nigel Cuming wishes to thank the RSPB for permission to record on their reserves at Minsmere and Snape Warren.

References Allen, A. A. (1947). Dorytomus filirostris Gyll. (Col., Curculionidae), a weevil

new to Britain. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 83: 52–53. Allen, A. A. (1959). Aderus brevicornis Perris (Col., Aderidae) recaptured in

Windsor Forest; with a survey of its British history and further notes. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 95: 120.

Allen, A. A. (1968). Notes on some British Serricorn Coleoptera with adjustments to the list. 1 Sternoxia. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 104: 208–216.

Allen, A. A. (1972). Magdalis memnonia Gyll. (Col., Curculionidae), a weevil new to Britain. Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation 84: 22–23.

Allen, A. J. & Hance, D. (2009). Holepta plana (Sulzer, 1776) (Histeridae) in Norfolk – new to Britain. The Coleopterist 18: 153–154.

Allen, A. J. (2012). Vanonus brevicornis (Perris) (Aderidae) in Suffolk. The Coleopterist 21: 108.

Booth, R. G. (1993). Thryogenes fiorii Zumpt, 1928 (Curculionidae) new to Britain. The Coleopterist 2: 19–20.

Doughty, C.G. (1929). Coleoptera of Gt. Yarmouth and its neighbourhood. Copy of ms. from the Great Yarmouth Naturalists’ Society held at Ipswich Museum. R. 1978-66.

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Elliott, E. A. (1936). Critical notes on our beetles. Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 3: 121–128.



Foster, G. N. (2010). A review of the scarce and threatened Coleoptera of Great Britain Part (3): Water beetles of Great Britain. Species Status 1. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.

Hammond, P. M. & Barham, C. S. (1982). Laricobius erichsonii Rosenhauer (Coleoptera: Derontidae) a species and superfamily new to Britain. Entomologist’s Gazette 33: 35–40.

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Hodge, P. (2010). Agrilus cuprescens (Menetries, 1832) and A. cyanescens Ratzeburg, 1837 (Buprestidae) established in Britain. The Coleopterist 18: 85–88.

Hyman, P. S. (revised Parsons, M. S.) (1992). A review of the scarce and threatened Coleoptera of Great Britain. Part 1. U.K. Nature Conservation 3. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.

James, T. J. (1994). Agrilus sulcicollis Lacordaire (Buprestidae): a jewel beetle new to Britain. The Coleopterist 3: 33–35.

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Kenward, H. K. (1990). A belated record of Procas granulicollis Walton (Col., Curculionidae) from Galloway with a discussion of the British Procas spp. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 126: 21–25.

Levy, B. (2012). Trachys subglaber Rey, 1891 (Buprestidae) an unrecognised British species. The Coleopterist 21: 67–72.

Levy, B., in press (2013). Exhibit at 2012 Annual Exhibition. Some notable Coleoptera collected in Norfolk and Suffolk in 2012. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 26.

Luff, M. L. (2007). The Carabidae (ground beetles) of Britain and Ireland. Handbooks for the identification of British Insects 4 (Part 2). 2

nd Ed.

Published by the FSC for the Royal Entomological Society. Mendel, H. (1989). Saproxylic beetles (Coleoptera) of the Icklingham Plains,

an area of Suffolk Breckland with a remarkable dead-wood fauna. Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 25: 23– 28.

Morley, C. (1897). Coleoptera in a bag of Suffolk fluvial rejectamenta. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 33: 86–87.

Morley, C. (1899). The Coleoptera of Suffolk. J. H. Keys: Plymouth. Morris, M. G. (2002). True weevils (Part I). Coleoptera: Curculionidae

(subfamilies Raymondionyminae to Smicronychinae). Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects 5 (17b). Royal Entomological Society published by FSC.

Nash, D. R. (2005). Notes on the Suffolk list of Coleoptera: 12. Twenty-seven species new to the Suffolk list with significant records from the year 2004. Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 41: 83–96.

Nash, D. R. (2007). Notes on the Suffolk list of Coleoptera: 13. Seventeen species new to the Suffolk list, six deletions and recent significant records. Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 43: 75–89.




Nash, D. R. (2010). Notes on the Suffolk list of Coleoptera: 15. Platyrhinus resinosus (Scopoli) (Anthribidae) new to the County. Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc.15: 23–24.

Nobes, G. & Mcgill, J. A. in press (2013). Magdalis memnonia (Gyllenhal) (Curculionidae) in West Suffolk. The Coleopterist 22.

Stephens, J. F. (1828). Illustrations of British Entomology. Mandibulata vol. I. Baldwin and Craddock: London.

Stephens, J. F. (1831). Illustrations of British Entomology. Mandibulata vol. IV. Baldwin and Craddock: London.

Warrington, S. (2011). Berosus fulvus (Kuwert) (Hydrophilidae) at Orford Ness NNR, Suffolk (VC 25). The Coleopterist 20: 124–125.

David Ridley Nash 3 Church Lane Brantham Suffolk CO11 1PU

Plate 10: Paracorymbia fulva, a RDB3 longhorn beetle found at Holywells Park, Ipswich 31 July 2010 (p 114).

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Plate 9: Elater ferrugineus is our largest click beetle. This specimen was attracted to a pheromone lure at Ickworth Park, 3 August 2011 (p. 111–112).

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NOTES ON THE SUFFOLK LIST OF COLEOPTERA: 16 FIFTEEN FURTHER SPECIES NEW TO THE LIST

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