24th February Wykeham - Other Invertebrates

 Hemiptera

Orius vicinus is a tiny species of flower bug and one of many similar species which are tricky to identify. This was found beneath flaked Sycamore bark in an area of mixed deciduous woodland. These are predatory on small insects and mites.

Anthocoris nemorum is a common species of flowerbug which is regularly found on tree trunks and fence posts during the warmer months. I frequently find these hibernating during the winter within deadwood and beneath bark. This is perhaps the easiest to identify and most common member of this family.

Cardiastethus fasciiventris is another tricky species to identify and is under recorded. There seems to be very few Yorkshire records although I have struggled to provide microscopic photos showing the features to get this one accepted.

Hymenoptera

I found good numbers of hibernating social wasp within an oak log. All species recorded were Vespula germanica which seem to be far more common than V. Vulgaris in these situations compared with most years, when the two are comparable in numbers. I wonder if this reflects contrasting successes during the previous nesting season.

Ichneumon confusor was my third species of hibernating Ichneumon wasp this winter. Another species found beneath lifted bark in an old fallen oak trunk. This is a very under recorded species and like many of these species has a poorly understood biology. This is a parasitic species associated with Lepidoptera, although beyond that I am not sure exactly what the host is.

Spiders

Segestria senoculata was numerous within this area, which is connected to the same area I recently found a colony near Rudston. Small numbers of this species were recorded from beneath lifted bark in woodland today, in the same situation to previous finds. It seems to really like dry dusty conditions beneath bark.