The Essex Naturalist 25
of this spider wasp in the county. Indeed the host spider is extremely rare in
Essex with only three known sites at Broom Hill Chadwell, Grays Chalk Quarry
and Hadleigh Castle and old records for Epping Forest near High Beach.
Mason wasps (Family Eumenidae)
One female of Gymnomerus laevipes was taken at Dolphin Pit, Thurrock on the
29th June 1995 hy Colin Plant. There appear to be no other recent records of
this Mason wasp. Microdynerus exilis was first discovered in Britain in south
Hampshire (H P Jones 1937) and has been found progressively more frequently
throughout the south of England. It has been recorded at several sites in South
Essex in recent years and a further male was found at Fobbing Hill on the 21st
June.
Social wasps (Family Vespidae)
The Tree wasp Dolichovespula norwegica seems to be very rare in the county.
There are old records from Lexden (1893), St Osyth (1903), Colchester (1896)
and Woodford (1884 and 1888) but until 1995 the only recent record seems to
have been from Eastwood, Southend in 1988 (R G Payne 1992). One worker
was taken at Ferry Fields on the 24th July 1995 and C Watson took a male at
Hatfield Forest on 30th August.
Solitary wasps (Family Sphecidae)
Females of the local Astata pinguis were found at East Tilbury on the 20th, 27th
July and the 1st August 1995. M Edwards has taken it at Shoebury and it may
occur at other coastal sandy sites in Essex. It is recorded from the Deal sandhills
in East Kent (pers. comm. the late J C Felton) and I have found it at Cross Ness,
West Kent, in the East Thames Corridor where the site may now be built on.
The Nationally Scarce (Notable A) Crossocerus distinguendus, first discovered in
Essex by Mark Hanson in 1989, continues to be found in new sites. One male
was taken at Curtismill Green on the 28th June 1995, a male and female at
Dolphin Pit on the 5th July and further specimens in my garden in Grays,
Thurrock. It seems likely that it will prove to be widespread in gardens and
other habitats in the county.
The Nationally Rare (RDB3) Passaloecus clypealis (confirmed by G Else) was
first taken at Ferry Fields last year (Harvey 1994). A further male was found on
the 20th June and a female on the 23rd July 1995 along the same Phragmites
ditch. It has otherwise only heen found in the county at Benfleet, 1971 (Shirt
1987). One male of the Nationally Scarce (Notable B) cuckoo wasp Nysson
trimaculatus was also found at Ferry Fields on the 23rd July. It is a cleptoparasite
of two other sphecid wasps Gorytes quadrifasciatus and G. bicinctus (Falk 1991).
The Nationally Rare (RDB3) wasp Cerceris quinquefasciata has heen found to
occur at several sites in Thurrock, nearly all threatened with development.
Males and females were present in some numbers at the East Tilbury silt lagoons
during July and August 1995 and males were also taken at Dolphin Pit in June
and July by Colin Plant and myself.