any one area within the Forest. Because of this and also our poor knowledge of a number
of groups, (particularly some invertebrate orders) I have produced accounts of the
following for Lords Bushes.
Slugs and Snails
Lords Bushes has a very poor mollusc fauna and recording in the woodland is very
unrewarding probably due to its acid nature. The list of species is undoubtedly enhanced
by recording carried out along the Northern Edge of Lords Bushes; here gardens back
on to the woodland along its entire length and from these people dispose of rubble
(including old mortar) rubbish (such as rusty old metal and wooden planks) and bundles
of garden cuttings and these provide the moist shaded conditions favoured by molluscs.
The old mortar no doubt provides the necessary lime, absent in the woodland itself, for
the 'growth' of snail shells. In addition to this, a number of species are synanthropic
including Milax budapestensis and Helix aspersa.
All recording was carried out in 1979 from three recording units to Lords Bushes (1)
The Undisturbed Woodland, (3) The Burnt and Disturbed Area and (5) The Northern
Edge (the numbers in the text below refer to these recording units). Nomenclature
follows Kerney, M. P. & Cameron, R. A. D. (36).
Aegopinella nitidula Apparently uncommon, only two empty shells found along (5).
Arion ater Infrequent, found in (1), (3) and (5).
Arion hortensis Probably the commonest of the slugs in Lords Bushes found in (1). (3) and (5).
Capaea nemoralis Found only in (5) and even there is only to be found in the vicinity of the Kings Place entrance
to Lords Bushes, though it is to be found in some numbers here (Cepaea hortensis, a closely related species, may
also be present here but in considerably smaller numbers).
Cochlicopa lubrica Known from only a single specimen from a pile of rubble in (5).
Deroceras reticulatum Frequent, though found only in (5).
Discus rotundatus Infrequent, specimens noted from (1) and (5).
Euconulus alderi Uncommon, only two specimens found beneath fallen beech bark in (1).
Helix aspersa Infrequent, noted only in (5).
Limax maximus Frequent, noted from (1) and (3).
Milax budapestensis Frequent, though noted only from (5).
Oxychilus alliarius Infrequent, noted mainly from (5) I have found three specimens in (1).
Oxychilus cellarius More frequent than O. alliarius and is particularly common along (5) though I have found 3
specimens under a log in (3).
Trichia hispida Frequent, though noted only from (5) under rubble and garden refuse.
Centipedes and Millipedes
The following were recorded from Lords Bushes in 1979. Nomenclature follows
Blower, J. G. (5) & Eason, E. H. (20).
Lithobius forficatus I noted very commonly under logs, bark and rubble in most
areas of Lords Bushes and along with Polydesmus angustatus was common on the burnt
and disturbed area. Blaniulus guttulatus and Haplophilus subterraneus I recorded only
from the North Edge of Lords Bushes. I found a number of specimens of Lithobius
melanops in a well decayed grey squirrel drey built in an oak tree.
CHILOPODA DIPLOPODA
Necrophloeophagus longicornis Blaniulus guttulatus
Cryptops hortensis Proteroiulus fuscus
Haplophilus subterraneus Polydesmus angustatus
Lithobius forficatus Ophyiulus pilosus
melanops Cylindroiulus punctatus
48