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The Essex Naturalist
Plant. The hee was abundant at East Tilbury in July and August and the females
were nesting in large numbers on the eastern side of the old silt lagoons.
Mining bees and cuckoo bees (Family Megachilidae)
One female of the Nationally Scarce (Notable B) bee Stelis punctulatissima was
collected at Dolphin Pit on the 5th July 1995. It is usually a cleptoparasite of the
Carder bee Anthidium anthicatum. Numerous males and females of the Nationally
Scarce (Notable B) Silvety Leaf Cutter bee Megachile leachella were present at the
eastern end of the old silt lagoons at East Tilbury in July and two males were
collected at Ferry Fields on the 23rd and 24th July. Males and females were also
fairly numerous in small area of dune at West Mersea, North Essex on the 2nd
July and M Edwards recorded the species at Shoebury Old Ranges.
Nomad bees (Family Anthophoridae)
Males and females of the Nationally Scarce (Notable B) Nomada flavopicta were
collected at Dolphin Pit in July 1995. Females of the Nationally Rare (RDB3)
Nomada fulvicornis were collected in my garden in Grays Thurrock on the 13th
and 18th July and a male was taken on the 14th. These individuals presumably
came from nearby sites. At Linford Sand Pit one female was collected on the
20th April and one male on the 26th May. One individual of Nomada
sheppardana was taken at the edge of Mill Wood, Mill Wood Pit on the 4th May,
the first time I have collected this species. One female of Epeolus cruciger was
collected at the East Tilbury silt lagoons on the 7th July. This species is very
much rarer than Epeolus variegatus in the county, with only two recent records.
References
Falk, S, 1991. A review of the scarce and threatened bees, wasps and ants of Great Britain. Research
and survey in nature conservation, number 35. Nature Conservancy Council.
Hanson, M W, 1992. Epping Forest Through the Eye of the Naturalist, Essex Naturalist 11: 126-
131.
Harvey, P R, 1994. A Report on Ferry Fields, Tilbury. Essex Field Club Newsletter 12: 2-3.
Jones, H P, 1937. A new British "Mason Wasp". Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 73: 13-15.
Payne, R G, 1992. Social Wasps in Essex. Essex Field Club Newsletter 4: 4-8.
Shirt, D B, 1987. British Red Data Books: 2. Insects. Nature Conservancy Council.
Some interesting spider records for 1995
P R Harvey
9 Kent Road. Grays, Essex RMJ7 6DE
1995 has been another interesting year for spider recording in the county. We
have a good coverage of the county, with over 100 species recorded from all the
10km squares except the one tiny area at North Woolwich on the edge of the
Thames. Two new species have been recorded for the county, the Nationally
Scarce (Notable A) ant-like gnaphosid spider Micaria subopaca and the linyphiid