I failed to get to 1000 species for Pan-species listing before I went on holiday but I managed to bust through in August and have added some fantastic bits and pieces since then. I currently find myself on 1038 species and here are a few of my favourites.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrmzYZyqf18FwRmsMrpPc5hrw4RRdZpvMBQ4PZSrn58M-AOkH8FslskDDid2gJUbBKBzuUgchHnijpJ9j9114I1_nQHUlry2p97iKQmkHbipeIM-TW4G3poX4d7yfgkZuym-Qso-ryf8/s640/megachile.jpg) |
Megachile centuncularis |
Segestria florentina - I managed to find loads of these and their more diminutive brethren
S.senoculata in the brickwork around Bridgwater.
S.florentina is a large reclusive spider which lives in a tube web and when it is illuminated its fangs glow neon green.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1X5HXXlXuagTALafnIS9_i95nBD32eldrZ4Hh4nn1r_01RMWm4G1ne14xaMfSpoUkdA7qdY3VsVceERHFzL_95606wa-3Xl9DosiNtp1EeN90RxAvExe_n_lH56Cpox6lJH8hPOp0hs/s640/Segestria+florentina.jpg) |
Segestria florentina |
I also had a ramble out onto the Quantocks looking for
Chalkhill Blues. It was a bit windy but I found a rather ratty male. Better than these though were the
Hornet Robberflies. These were predating grasshoppers and Hornets and are the largest species of diptera in the UK.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwf7LTBRTyPNklFoUfu9GDRnm6YgLYont4BIMFF-UImu4oZLxlbGlRKaznm6KYD7W0fp23YVLOSkG5xePDn83nV2phqhBlSL2apCKikb5vIy2brjBozk4BcqGq9-Qr5SDXKJYcHoIuM4/s640/Hornet+Robberfly.jpg) |
Hornet Robberfly |
Whilst seawatching at Barmston I managed to add a new fish as some of the small cobbles close in were fishing for
Mackerel. I may have seen these in the past but hadnt remembered any specific incidences.
There have been three new orthoptera additions since my holiday. Both
Short-winged and
Long-winged Coneheads were picked up at Hatch Hill in Somerset along with plenty of
Lesser Marsh Grasshoppers.
I managed to add two conopid flies,
Conops quadrifasciatus and
C. ceriaeformis which were awesome looking beasties which I initially mistook to be hoverflies. On the beetle front
11-spot Ladybird came from coastal dunes in Cumbria whilst a
Churchyard Beetle was found on a manor house wall along with
Amaurobius ferox and a still to be identified centipede with 60 pairs of legs. A third beetle,
Anthocomus rufus was on Hogweed at Westhay Moor in Somerset.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigs7FmkjSzDpScXb-5XH6jpzcwcHn1FlvS9k9pDq72Ni7B5sLSVFLnkFjkJWkt5THNZwD3-tkDnW8Wy0RIc_rcXKNrchUfBaJs6eZ5lKVzm_mHc1I1z_gu40FQO0bJs5ce-41V97N-2cM/s640/red+beetle.jpg) |
Anthocomus rufus |
A trio of moths made up the remainder of the Lepidoptera additions with
June Highflyer,
Latticed Heath and belatedly
Chestnut Leaf Miner noted. Spiderwise it was a profitable time as aside from the three species I have already mentioned a couple of Crab Spiders,
Misumena vatia and
Xysticus cristatus. Finally a massive money spider,
Linyphia triangularis was discovered in a limestone quarry in Cumbria. I also finally managed to pin down one of the mining bees to species with
Megachile centuncularis.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7Zx4WEkSrV0wzbtcjt6RQ4UwxAU2gyWJgV2cDDDl2gYHvWNdwByUH2-R_S3h9CfsA3S3uQ1JUq-DO-Rjl1ZYDl-YShGMWNQzX_qoffTLo3So9W4_dbpOTBTgjbNgLvsYl0spJMiSIFw/s640/July+highflyer.jpg) |
July Highflyer |
The final animalia addition is
Compass Jellyfish as I watched a number of jellies being washed up on the spring tides in Cumbria. A single fungi addition will hopefully be joined by many more over the next couple of months. I thought I'd found Amethyst Deceiver but it turns out it was
Mycena pura. Purple anyway...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNMZfefjeDE28oz-5aCLAFS0wV2iwLJK_Jf-2NijT5iYlrB5Fq2HzZ0z1hGwBHlmfonixsj82idqh-mZ_NIvoPeP9oce3iq3Kh7qLL2w-OswICvPEMP2tvNKgYYWK7nVHao0MZMQZzrQ/s640/mycena+pura.jpg) |
Mycena pura |
I know I said this last time but the plants will follow in a later post...